Exactly Where You'd Like Me
by xpiester333x
Summary: Zoro is forced to accompany Nami and Vivi to the strip club for Vivi's birthday. He's absolutely positive he's going to have a miserable night. That is, until a certain hot blond takes the stage. Now a two-shot!
1. Chapter 1

"I'm not going, absolutely not," Zoro declared, glaring down at his pouting, red-headed friend.

Her pout deepened at his refusal. How she managed to look more meek and hurt after what was probably his eighteenth rejection he had no idea. She was managing it somehow though, staring up at him with big brown eyes. It didn't surprise Zoro that so many men fell into her trap (losing their wallets for their troubles), if he didn't know her better he'd assume she was just as helpless as she looked.

"But Zoro!" Nami whined. The whining wasn't doing her any favors. "It's Vivi's birthday! You're not going to ruin that for her are you?!"

Zoro snorted. He wasn't falling for that, not even for a moment. After all, young socialites like Vivi didn't usually make it a habit to go to strip clubs on their birthdays. "She doesn't even know she's being hauled off to the club, does she?"

Nami clucked her tongue. "It would sort of defeat the purpose of a surprise if she did, wouldn't it?"

"I'm sure," Zoro chuckled, though he lacked any real humor. He was tired of this conversation already. It wasn't like it was the first time they'd had it; Nami had been on his case about this every day for the past week.

"Why do you want me to go with you?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest impatiently. "It's not like I really want to go see some guys undress on stage."

"I told you!" She cried, exasperated. Apparently he wasn't the only one frustrated with this ongoing argument. Now it was just a matter of who could cave first, and Zoro was absolutely sure that it wouldn't be him.

"Right," Zoro scoffed, recalling her reasoning from the last time they'd had this talk. "I just have a hard time believing guys hit on you in a strip club," He paused, looking at her skeptically. "Where the dancers are male," He added as if to prove his point.

Nami glared at him. "And you think the dancers don't hit on girls either?"

Zoro chose to ignore her question, moving on to his next point. "And why does it have to be me? Can't you take one of the other guys?"

"Luffy's too young still, and he has class the next day," She frowned. "And Usopp told me he had suddenly come down with some kind of illness that he didn't want to infect us with."

Zoro frowned. That damn Usopp. Most likely his "disease" was something like "I-can't-go-to-the-strip-club-it's-too-embarrassin g-itis." If only Zoro had been smart enough to come up with an excuse like that. But Zoro was too honest for his own good, and he couldn't pull off a lie like Usopp could.

"Please Zoro," Nami implored. "I want to take Vivi out for some fun on her birthday but I don't want to put her in danger," The pleading in her eyes seemed a little more genuine this time. It was a more low-key version of her previous performance, but then Zoro always did prefer her honesty. "There will be a bar, I'll pay for all of your drinks, just please play bodyguard for us?"

Zoro looked down at his red-headed friend. Nami was one of the thriftiest and stingiest people he'd ever encountered. If she was offering to pay for his drinks, she was serious. She could also be as prideful as he could sometimes, so asking him so politely for a favor must have been borderline _painful._ But at least he knew she really was being genuine.

"Fine," He grumbled. "But you're buying _all_ of my drinks, as many as I want." He clarified. "And I want that in ink," He tacked on, remember that Nami was as slippery as a snake in wet grass when she wanted out of something.

Nami squealed in delight. "Thank you, Zoro!" She cried, throwing her arms around him and hugging him fiercely.

Zoro blushed. Little gestures of affection like this always made him embarrassed. "You're welcome," He grumbled.

"This is great!" She laughed releasing him and ripping her phone from her purse. "I'll come pick you up okay? You'll never found this place on your own."

He scowled at her but she ignored him, her thumbs working furiously over the keyboard of her small phone.

"I'll see you Thursday, okay?" She waved, not waiting for a proper answer before rushing off.

Zoro let out a huff of frustration, already mentally preparing himself for the nightmare his Thursday night was sure to be.

* * *

It was a little past nine o'clock when Nami pulled up in front of Zoro's building. She'd texted him several time before she got there, making him swear he'd be outside and waiting for her. Of course even after following her directions she still wasn't pleased with him.

"That's what you're wearing?" She asked disbelievingly.

Zoro glanced down at his attire. He'd followed her rules; no holes, no stains, no wild colors, nothing with an excessive amount of zippers, no chains…the list had been nearly endless. After much scouring of his closet he'd managed to come up with a pair of dark blue jeans, and a plain white t-shirt that had somehow avoided getting covered in food, drink, or blood. It was easily the most presentable outfit he owned, and he was fairly certain it'd be perfectly acceptable in a strip club given that most of the employees shed their own clothes.

"Nevermind," Nami sighed, obviously deciding the argument she had against Zoro's outfit was really not worth making. "Just get in."

Zoro complied, sliding into the backseat of Nami's compact sedan and wishing he could have just walked to the damn club.

"Hey Zoro," Vivi turned and greeted him from the front seat.

Vivi was sort of an enigma to Zoro. He father was the founder and president of a successful company, one Vivi was expected to inherit today. Zoro could understand the kind of pressure this must have put on the young socialite, she was only turning twenty-one today after all. So the fact that she frequently spent time with their group of friends (who were all somehow magnets for trouble) and dyed her hair a vibrant blue was an understandable act of protest against her strict upbringing.

Except Vivi still behaved like a perfect lady at all times, showed a deep respect for her father, and often talked (with more than a little bit of excitement) about the plans she had for the company when she took it over. She was a kind, giving individual whose personality didn't mesh at all with her rebellious appearance.

Zoro had long since stopped scratching his head over this mystery. It wasn't like Vivi was the weirdest one in their group of friends anyway. Usopp's nose and Luffy's appetite were far stranger than a blue-haired heiress.

"Happy birthday, Vivi," He told her with a smile. At least he knew he preferred Vivi's polite and patient attitude to Nami's self-serving one.

"Thank you," Vivi beamed back at him. "Do you know where we're going, Zoro?" She asked him. "Nami refuses to tell."

And the look Nami shot him in the rearview mirror suggested he'd better refuse to tell as well if he knew what was good for him.

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," Zoro told her, though he was certain his smile didn't meet his eyes. The surprise was probably going to startle the color right out of Vivi's hair.

"Hmm," Vivi hummed, pursing her lips in displeasure.

"I promise you'll have fun," Nami assured her with a sweet smile. Only Vivi received that kind of smile from Nami on a regular basis. The rest of them were awarded with teasing smirks or sly grins.

"I trust you," Vivi smiled back. "But I'm not very comfortable with surprises."

Zoro didn't blame her, especially when Nami was involved. Nami had a strange sense of what constituted fun and was a tad bit of thrill seeker, which is partially why Zoro was against this whole idea. Strip clubs weren't exactly noted for their clean and reputable records, and even if Nami wasn't looking for it, trouble always seemed to find their group.

They pulled into the strip club's parking lot. It was early enough in the night that the real club goers had yet to turn up for the night and only a few cars were parked in the lot. There was no truly revealing sign on or around the building that would give away its purpose, and Vivi stared around curiously.

This club had a reputation that didn't require and flashy signs or cheesy advertisements to draw attention. Even Zoro, who never set foot in such places, had heard of it. He'd never actually been there before, but the plain, nondescript design on the outside of the building wasn't very promising.

"We're here!" Nami declared excitedly, killing the engine. "Let's go!"

Zoro and Vivi complied, sliding from the car and shutting their doors, allowing Nami to lock up the car. From the parking lot Zoro could hear the bass, beating out a faint but constant rhythm that promised a headache.

Nami led them up to the door. There was a bouncer there enjoying a smoke in the peaceful night air. Zoro pitied him, he probably heard the bass in his head even when he was home.

The bouncer stood a little straighter when he saw them approaching, holding his cigarette between his lips and looking at them expectantly. Nami seemed to know exactly what the bouncer wanted, pulling her wallet from her purse and flashing her ID, prompting Vivi and Zoro to do the same. Zoro complied easily, fishing his wallet out from his back pocket and flipping it open for the bouncer, who barely studied it before nodding and looking to Vivi.

Vivi followed Nami's actions, pulling her wallet from her purse and sliding her ID from it. It was shiny and new, and Vivi looked slightly pleased about having to show it off.

The bouncer looked a little closer at Vivi's ID than he had at Nami's or Zoro's before nodding his approval. "Well, well," The bouncer smirked. "Happy birthday, Princess," He nodded, opening the door for them.

Vivi blushed and thanked the bouncer, following Nami's lead inside with Zoro bringing up the rear. "Enjoy the show!" The bouncer chuckled behind them.

Nami immediately bee lined for the bar, much to Zoro's relief. At least he could start on the drinks now, he felt like he'd probably need them. The club was dark, dim lamps and neon beverage signs being the only illumination. The bass was louder inside as well; in fact it didn't even seem to be supporting music, but rather beating a proud rhythm all its own. All of it was very headache inducing.

The club had a simple set up. Really it looked just like any other bar Zoro had been in, but with the addition of three stages at the front of the building, each sporting its own pole, though at the moment there were no dancers working it.

Nami led them down to the front, snagging them a small table near the centermost stage.

"Did you take me to a strip club?!" Vivi asked, one part shocked and one part gleeful.

"Yes, are you surprised?" Nami asked, sipping her drink and looking rather pleased with herself.

"Yes!" The young heiress declared happily. "I've always wanted to go to one!"

Zoro fought the urge to roll his eyes. What exactly people _wanted_ to go to strip clubs for was beyond him. In his limited experience they were nothing more than a bar with a half-naked person interrupting your drink.

"They have the most amazing show here," Nami informed her. "I think you'll love it."

This time Zoro really did roll his eyes, though he kept his unimpressed sigh to himself. Instead he settled into his drink, hoping this 'amazing show' was a short one so they could all leave much sooner.

Zoro took a curious look around the club. It was beginning to fill up with people; apparently this show was a real draw for the club. He scanned their surroundings, eyeing newcomers and keeping half an eye out for trouble. He was surprised at the amount of men filling the club. It wasn't really that there were men in a male strip club that caught Zoro's attention, he of all people was of the opinion that gender didn't really matter. What really called for his notice was the amount of men that were eyeing Nami and Vivi like they'd seen something particularly delicious to eat. Coming to a male strip club to pick up women? That was strange. Maybe Nami hadn't been wrong in asking him to come along.

Zoro easily glared down these men, serving his role of bodyguard perfectly. Nami definitely owed him for this, and he was fully prepared to treat himself to an all-you-can-drink buffet on her credit card. Free drinks were definitely worth it.

The lights of the club dimmed further, startling Zoro from his thoughts. It was so dark now he could hardly see the girls sitting on either side of him.

"It's starting," Nami hissed excitedly from his left.

A spot light lit the center stage in warm white light. The light was enough to illuminate the whole club with a dim glow, but the rest of the lights stayed off. The stages to the left and right were lit too, but in dim red lights that hardly showed more than silhouettes and shadows. The deep bass started again, picking up slightly in beat, and this time there was actual music accompanying it. Not good music, Zoro winced, but at least it was more than a sporadic beat.

There was a loud cheering from the crowd as a figure slinked onto the stage. The screams of the females nearly drowned out the hollering coming from the men, but Zoro could tell this particular stripper was a crowd favorite for both sexes.

The man stepped into the circle of spotlight finally becoming clearly visible. He was…well Zoro couldn't really blame the crowd for their enthused behavior. The guy was _gorgeous._ Tall, lithe, blond haired, graceful in a way that belied power; the guy greeted the crowd of his fans with a perilously sexy smirk that increased the volume of the cheers. He was the exact kind of person Zoro wanted to see naked. Well, wish granted in this situation.

The man approached the pole in the center of the stage and greeted it like an old friend, running one hand up it in a manner that was almost suggestive, and Zoro was already finding it difficult to swallow.

The blond worked around the pole, rolling his hips against it and arching his back obscenely. Zoro almost felt guilty watching this. He'd never actually watched a pole dance that made him feel anything other than intrigued about the types of muscle a person needed to be able to maneuver like that. There was nothing analytical about the way Zoro was appraising the blond on stage though. He was watching with pure lust and a mind full of dirty thoughts and he felt absolutely _filthy._

The blond seemed to have had enough of teasing the pole (and inadvertently, Zoro) and decided to actually get to work. He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, enough to expose the shape of his chest. It was enough for Zoro to see that the blond was not skin and bones by any means. He was lean muscle packed behind smooth, pale skin.

The blond took the pole in both hands, spinning playfully around it once before twisting his legs and flipping up into the air. His legs were impossibly long; it was impossible not to notice while he wrapped one around the pole and extended the other at an almost obscene angle. He spiraled down to the floor, catching himself on to his hands and flipping gracefully away from the pole. He paused a moment to undo the last of the buttons of his shirt.

The shirt was tossed aside leaving his Torso bare and Zoro chasing desperately after the last traces of his reasonable thought. The blond returned to the pole, met with a new round of applause and cat calling at the loss of his shirt. He climbed up the pole once more, higher this time then he'd gone yet. Once he'd almost reached the top he secured his legs around the pole and let his torso fall back. His shoulders came to rest against the pole beneath him and his hands gripped the pole above his head. He arched his back and looked for all the world like he was laying on a bed and not hanging from the air on a pole.

He was doing terrible things to Zoro's imagination. It didn't help when he grabbed the pole with his hands and allowed his torso and legs to flip behind him. It didn't help when he did the splits in midair, showing off his impossible flexibility. And it really, _really, _didn't help when he looked in Zoro's direction and _winked._

Zoro couldn't believe he was having this issue. He wasn't exactly the most sexually aware person on a normal basis. Not to say he hadn't had a few partners or that he had never found anyone attractive before, but his brain was always more focused on training or work. Sex seemed kind of like a frivolous past time when there were much more important things to be done.

He couldn't remember ever being so turned on by a total stranger in his whole life; a stranger who was a stripper, no less. Zoro noticed the blond's eyes lingering on him again and shivered involuntarily. He definitely needed another drink, or three, to get the feeling of the sexy blond's gaze off of him.

The song finally ended and the lights on the stage went dark again, leaving the image of the posing blond man seared into Zoro's eyes for moment before the lights in the club came back on and the stage was revealed to be empty. The crowd's cheer began to die down and people began to disperse. If Zoro didn't make it to the bar now, he'd never get through the crowd.

"I'm going to go get another drink," Zoro announced to Nami and Vivi, standing from their table. Nami may have called something behind him but he didn't stop to listen, ducking through the crowd to make it to the bar.

The crowd at the bar was already thick, and it took Zoro a few minutes to shoulder his way close enough to shout out a drink order. Drink in hand, he maneuvered back through the crowd. Though he did so carefully this time; he didn't want to waste his precious liquor.

It seemed to take forever to find the table. The crowd was thick and the air was hazy with smoke from a number of cigarettes. He was beginning to think Nami and Vivi had moved it somewhere else when he finally found them. There was a third figure at their table as well, very male, and apparently chatting with the two girls. Zoro cursed himself silently. He'd only gone to get a drink and already some guy had made his move towards them.

It wasn't like Nami and Vivi couldn't take care of themselves. Zoro didn't know a woman more fearsome than Nami in a bad mood. And, despite her delicate appearance, Vivi could hold her own against an attacker. So Zoro wasn't worried for the girls' safety. He was worried because he wasn't there to stop this man from hitting on them, and in Nami's books this would probably end up costing him money. Money Zoro really didn't have at the moment.

His list of concerns was only added to once he drew close enough to make out the newcomer. If the blond hair wasn't a dead giveaway, the shape of his ass sold it for Zoro. The stripper was at their table, smoking a cigarette and chatting with Zoro's friends. He half considered turning around and going back the way he came. Nami's wrath or not, he might be better off waiting in Nami's car for the girls to call it a night.

Unfortunately for him, Nami spied him before he could execute his plan. "Oh, Zoro!" She called waving him over. "There you are!"

Zoro drew in a deep, steadying breath. If there was ever a time he wished he could meditate while still able to socially function, this was it.

"Zoro, meet Sanji. Sanji, this is our friend Zoro," Nami smiled brightly, making introductions between the two men. It wasn't really necessary. Rather, a more appropriate introduction may have been; Zoro, meet the incredibly sexy blond who's been testing the limits of your sex drive. Sexy blond, meet the guy who's been picturing you wearing even less than your work attire calls for.

Sanji appraised him thoughtfully, and Zoro was half afraid the blond could read his thoughts.

"Your boyfriend?" He asked Nami. The question was asked casually but curiosity burned brightly in the blond's incredibly blue eyes.

"What?" Nami nearly choked. "Zoro? Ew, no," She laughed, regaining her composure. "He's just here to ward off any unwanted attention.

Zoro shot her a glare for her reaction. She didn't need to act like he was diseased, especially not in front of new company. _Especially_ when that company was an extremely hot blond.

"Oh?" Sanji smiled, positively beamed, and the sight of it froze Zoro into spot. If Sanji was hot when he smirked, he was _beautiful_ when he smiled. "You're a true gentleman," The blond acknowledged, tipping his drink to Zoro.

"S' nothing," Zoro grumbled, tearing his eyes off the blond and concentrating on his drink instead.

"So which one of you is the birthday girl?" Sanji asked the ladies.

Oh, of course. Zoro fought the rising heat in his cheeks, thankful for the first time that evening for the dim lighting of the club. He'd been a little stupid and conceited, thinking that the blond had been eyeing him during his show. It was Vivi's birthday after all; some strip clubs did special things for birthday patrons. The blond had probably been eyeing their table in general, planning a special treat for the birthday girl.

"That would be me," Vivi answered, a little shyly.

"Ah, mademoiselle," Sanji cooed, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles gently. "Would the princess like a special service in the back?"

Vivi squeaked and Zoro decided it was time to step in and fulfill his whole reason for coming. "Hey," Zoro spoke, calling the stripper's attention. "Is that how they teach you to come on to girls in your profession?"

The blond's blue eyes met his with an icy glare. "It's the club's policy to extend a private lap dance on our customer's birthday," Sanji growled out.

Zoro back pedaled. A lap dance didn't sound that out of the usual he supposed, about what he would expect really. But the words "special service" had summoned up visuals that were much less innocent than a lap dance. Apparently he was the only one that had come to that conclusion though, since Nami was now fixing him with a glare that spoke volumes about how he should probably shut his mouth.

He just couldn't win tonight.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, Sanji," Vivi replied, a polite business smile on her face.

"Very well my dear, though you've broken my heart," The blond sighed dramatically. "Perhaps for your friend instead?" He turned his attention to Nami, a winning smile on his face.

Nami giggled. "How very generous of you," She said through her giggles. "But I'll pass."

Sanji gripped his chest and pretended that he was actually suffering the pain of heartbreak. Zoro resisted the urge to roll his eyes and throw and insult at the blond. But he'd already made enough of an idiot of himself for the evening, and he figured it was probably wiser just to keep his mouth shut.

"Well, what about you?"

Zoro didn't even realize he was being spoken to until he looked up to notice three pairs of eyes trained on him. His mind quickly skimmed over the past couple of minutes, trying to remember what exactly was being asked of him here.

"Me?" Zoro asked, remembering the question but not any less confused.

"Yes you," The blond repeated, the sexy smirk back on his face. "Would you like to fill in for the birthday girl?"

Zoro couldn't answer for a moment, but that was because he was fairly certain his brain was suffering a blood supply shortage as he pictured the blond working his flexible body on Zoro in a private setting.

"Uh," His eyes flicked to Nami, as if she might know the correct answer.

She was looking back at him thoughtfully, as if he were a puzzle she wanted to solve. Finally a lightbulb seemed to go on in her mind and she turned back to Sanji. "He would," She answered. "But Zoro came with us, and I'm afraid we need to be going soon."

"Oh, do you live far?" The blond asked curiously. The question was for Nami, but his eyes were lingering on Zoro.

Nami grinned wickedly. "Zoro doesn't," She answered. "His apartment is only a few blocks from here."

The blond seemed to consider him for a moment, taking one last drag of his cigarette before snuffing it out in an ashtray. "My shift ends after this little birthday gift," He said, again seeming to speak to Nami while looking at Zoro. "Perhaps I could take him home afterwards?"

Nami's smile broadened further. "What do you think, Zoro?" She asked him.

"Yes," Zoro asked, his dark eyes meeting the blond's blue ones. "Yes, I'll take the lap dance, and the ride."

The blond smiled brightly. "Well then," He said, crooking his finger at Zoro. "Follow me, Grass-head."

Zoro complied immediately, not even thinking to refute the insult thrown at him. His feet obeyed the blond's beckoning without a second thought.

"Have fun, Zoro!" Nami called after him, her voice was barely masked glee. "I'll call you tomorrow!"

* * *

Sanji lead Zoro to a private room. The walls were draped in deep blue velvet curtains, the floor carpeted with a plush carpet of the same color. In one corner was another pole, a more scaled down version of the one Sanji had danced on that night. In the center of the room was one simple chair, padded in a deep blue to match the rest of the room.

The blue was almost an exact match the blue of Sanji's eyes and Zoro felt like he was drowning. He was certainly completely out of his depth here. Why did he even agree to this? This wasn't his kind of thing. He was just here because Nami begged him to be. When exactly did this happen?

"Take a seat," Sanji said, gesturing to the lone chair in the room.

Zoro took a deep breath, trying to ground himself. It was just a lap dance. It would probably only last a few minutes and he would be on his way, never to see this gorgeous blond again. That was a little disappointing, Zoro supposed, but he probably wouldn't even remember the guys face in a week. He just needed to rein things in, keep his cool for a few minutes. He could do that. He was trained to do that.

Zoro took a seat in the chair, mind much calmer and more under his control. He continued to breathe, steadily in and out while Sanji momentarily disappeared. Music started, again with a deep bass line, but this time it was jazzier, more playful, and something Zoro could actually call music.

He hadn't known Sanji had stepped around behind him until he felt the blond's hands fall onto his shoulder.

"Relax, Grass-head," Sanji purred into his ear. A shiver ran down Zoro's spine, but he tried to ignore it. He had finally gotten himself into the right mental state; he didn't need to lose it again right away.

"Don't call me grass-head," Zoro growled, though his voice lacked any actual bite.

Sanji's palms slid down his chest tracing he contours of Zoro's muscles beneath his shirt. Zoro briefly wondered if the blond was impressed. Sanji's hands had barely reached his abs before stopping their progress and moving back up to his shoulders.

"Hm," The blond chuckled lightly in his ear again. He leaned close enough that Zoro could feel Sanji's lips brush the shell of his ear.

"How about 'Marimo' then?" Sanji asked.

"What the hell is Marimo?" Zoro asked, fighting to ignore the press of Sanji's body against the back of his shoulders.

"A marimo is a little ball of moss," Sanji laughed again, carding his fingers through Zoro's hair as he spoke. The slight drag of nails against his scalp felt surprisingly good, and Zoro's eyes fluttered close for one moment while he lost himself in the feeling. His eyes snapped open the moment they left his hair and trailed down his neck. He'd let himself slip too much into the sensation, he needed to be more careful.

Sanji stepped around the chair, coming into full view. He was dressed simply now, much more simply than he had been for his show, a pair of loose sweat pants and a simple t-shirt. It was hardly risqué, but the way the shirt stretched across his chest and the way the pants hung on his hips should have been illegal. Zoro couldn't imagine anything sexier on the blond. He could imagine that this outfit would look pretty damn sexy off the blond though.

Sanji stretched one long leg over Zoro's and then the other, coming to straddle Zoro. Sanji's hips rolled in smooth and sensual circles, though he was carefully not touching any more of Zoro than his hands on his shoulders. Zoro watched the movement, thrilled with the flexibility the blond possessed. He curiously looked up at the blond's face, meeting the darkened, lidded eyes of the man above him. Sanji moved, moving one leg and turning so he was straddling one of Zoro's legs backwards.

Sanji rested his hands on Zoro's knee, rolling his hips again before bending forward and awarding Zoro with a full view of his perfect ass. Zoro bit the inside of his lip, the pain drawing him back to earth.

Sanji stood again, releasing Zoro from his hold and Zoro took the opportunity to breathe, returning much needed oxygen to his body. He seemed to have forgotten how to when he'd had a hot, writhing blond in his lap.

Sanji smiled down, his eyes meeting Zoro's for a moment before his hands ran down the front of his body. His head was thrown back as if touching himself was truly giving him pleasure. His hands trailed down to the hem of his shirt, catching the ends of it under deft fingers and tugging it upwards, tantalizingly slow.

Zoro swallowed as inch upon inch of smooth white skin and tight lean muscle was exposed to him. He gave up. He never had a chance at self-control around this man. The moment Sanji had set foot on that stage, Zoro had been screwed.

Shirt finally pulled over his head, Sanji smiled down at him, a lazy, satisfied smile. Zoro looked up at him, longing was probably written all over his face, but he was beyond caring any more. He'd never wanted someone so badly in his entire life.

Sanji spun and eased himself onto the edge of Zoro's chair, seating himself between Zoro's spread legs. He shifted his hips once, just barely brushing against Zoro's pants, but it was more than enough at this point to draw a hiss from Zoro.

Sanji smiled, leaning back against Zoro's chest. One hand came up to tug lightly as Zoro's hair, the other sought out Zoro's hand. Having found it, he pulled towards him, pressing it against his chest. His head fell back against Zoro's shoulder, exposing the long expanse of his neck to Zoro's eyes.

Zoro sat frozen, afraid to move. If he moved he might act on one of the dangerous impulses his mind was screaming at him to follow through with. That kind of thing would probably be frowned on by well, everyone, but particularly the police Sanji would no doubt call on him.

Or so he thought, until Sanji's head rolled on his shoulder so he was facing Zoro.

"Zoro," The blond hissed into his ear. The sound of his name rolling out of those wicked lips made Zoro shudder. The use of his name from someone who was practically a stranger seemed so intimate and the way Sanji whispered sounded just a desperate and needy. Zoro could get off on this whisper alone if Sanji would just do it again.

What he offered was better though. "Touch me," He whispered, pressing Zoro's hand against his chest once more before releasing it, giving Zoro free reign of his own limbs.

Zoro was frozen again though. This was a fantasy, it had to be. All the blood rushing to his cock had caused him to pass out and now he was dreaming about the powerfully sexy blond. That was the only explanation. Any moment now he'd come to and realize this had all been a ridiculous fantasy.

"_Please,_" Sanji hissed once more, rocking his hips back, his ass grinding against the very prominent erection in the front of Zoro's pants, tearing a groan from his lips.

Hell if it was a dream, Zoro was going to make the most of it. He ran his hands appreciatively across the blond's chest, tracing over the defined muscles he'd spent half the night admiring. Sanji squirmed underneath his hands, moaning softly when one of Zoro's thumbs brushed across one of his nipples. Zoro wasn't sure how they had come to this, but Sanji was obviously enjoying the treatment, and Zoro wasn't inclined to stop.

Zoro trailed his hands down Sanji's stomach, feeling the blond arch into his touch. He craned his neck slightly to get a better view of the other man's face. Sanji's eyes were squeezed shut, pure pleasure written across his features. He hissed as Zoro's fingers traced the line of his pelvis, coming to play with the waistband of his pants. Sanji arched his hips into the touch, asking for more, willing for Zoro to move down further.

But Zoro's hands retreated, moving back up the blond's torso.

"Shit," Sanji cursed, his eyes snapping open. He stood quickly, and for one panicked moment Zoro feared he'd crossed a line he shouldn't have. But it was hardly a moment before the blond turned, slung his legs over Zoro's and came to straddle Zoro's lap again. Only this time, instead of teasing hip roll, Zoro was rewarded with a powerful grind of Sanji's hips, pulling moans from both of them.

"Shit," Sanji hissed again, his head falling forward onto Zoro's shoulder. Zoro's hands found Sanji's hips, feeling the movement there and using it to move with them.

"I saw you walk in," Sanji panted against his ear. "You're so fucking hot I thought I was imagining things."

The feeling was mutual Zoro thought, but he lacked the mental capacity to speak. The feel of the blond's erection rubbing up against his own left him with very little room for coherent thought.

"When I saw you watching me dance, I thought I'd lose it right there. I knew you wanted me," Sanji's voice was broken by a moan as Zoro's hands moved to his ass, squeezing the flesh there and pulling the blond tighter against him as he ground down onto Zoro. "I wanted you too. I wanted to pull you back here, just like this, I wanted to- I want to make you come," Sanji growled into his ear, his pace increasing slightly, the strength of each grind becoming just short of painful.

Zoro was close. He was panting, moving desperately to keep up with the blond's movements. He couldn't speak, couldn't tell Sanji he more than returned the sentiment. Couldn't tell him that he wasn't sure he could have walked away and forgotten the blond. That he needed more of him.

He couldn't form these words but he could still move. One of his hands tangled into the blond hair, dampened with sweat. He tugged lightly until the blond was looked at him, those deep blue eyes darkened even further with desire. Zoro met those eyes for a moment before pulling the blond in and pressing his lips against Sanji's. Sanji didn't hesitate to return the kiss, opening his mouth to allow Zoro's tongue to meet his own.

This is how Zoro would convey his feelings. He wasn't sure Sanji would get it, but this was all Zoro could do. He tried to convey his desire, desperation, and overwhelming attraction that he'd felt for the blonds since he'd first laid eyes on the man.

Sanji returned the kiss in full, displaying a skilled tongue that nearly sent Zoro over the edge when he pictured it put to other uses. That was for next time though. If there was a next time.

God, Zoro _hoped_ there was a next time.

Sanji was reaching his limit; he broke the kiss to let out a particularly ragged and desperate moan. Zoro attached his lips to Sanji's neck instead, nipping and sucking a trail down the fair skin. Sanji was shuddering, gasping for breath, and so pleasantly on edge that Zoro would have liked to have kept him there forever.

Zoro's hands returned to Sanji's ass, jerking the blonde's hips against his while he thrust up to meet them properly. It became too much for Sanji, who growled out a string of colorful and creative curses as he came. Zoro followed not long after, rocking his hips into the blonde's a few more times before losing it to his own orgasm.

They didn't move for a long time both panting for much needed air. Sanji's head was on his shoulder, cradled in the crook where Zoro's neck and shoulder met. After a few minutes of still silence, broken only by the sound of their breathing, Zoro felt Sanji's lips press kisses against his shoulder.

Zoro let out a pleased hum. "So you're a cuddler after sex?" He asked curiously.

Sanji pulled away, mischief shining in his blue eyes. "I guess you'll just have to figure that out on your own, won't you?"

Zoro couldn't keep the smile from his face. "I guess I will."

* * *

The ride back to Zoro's apartment was quiet, but comfortably so. At least Zoro thought it was comfortable; just the stretch of silence between two men who had no need to fill it with idle chatter. Though a slight part of him worried that perhaps it was more like the silence between two people who just had a one night stand of sorts and were planning on never seeing each other again. He tried not to think too much about that possibility.

"That one," Zoro pointed out his apartment complex.

Sanji turned the car, easing it over the speed bumps in the parking lot.

"You can stop here," Zoro said, unbuckling his seat belt. There was a tense moment of silence where Zoro was waiting for Sanji to say something, _anything_, to indicate they might get to meet again. Nothing was said though, and with a sigh Zoro opened the door. "Thanks for the ride," He said before climbing out.

"Wait, Zoro!" Sanji called just before Zoro closed the door.

Zoro leaned back into the car curiously. "Yeah?"

Sanji pulled his phone from his pocket. "Don't I get your number?" He asked uncertainly.

Zoro almost laughed when he realized Sanji probably wasn't exactly used to this kind of thing either. "Sure," Zoro smiled, reciting his number off for the man.

Sanji tapped the numbers into the phone. A moment later Zoro's phone rang in his pocket.

"Now you have mine too," Sanji smiled. It was the genuine, warm smile that Zoro couldn't help but find absolutely beautiful. "You can call or text me any time, but I might be sleeping," Sanji shrugged apologetically. "Weird work hours."

Zoro laughed. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

Sanji smiled and nodded. "See you later?" He asked.

"Later," Zoro nodded, closing the car door and making his way up to his apartment.

* * *

**A/N: **

Inspired by having to much ZoSan on the brain while listening to the Panic at the Disco song "But It's Better if You Do." Also where I jacked the title from.

Probably the most horribly inaccurate stripper AU ever, but there you have it.

Feedback is most welcomed and appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two weeks since Zoro had last seen Sanji. This also made it two weeks since the first time Zoro had seen Sanji, because the first time Zoro had ever seen the blond man was also the last time he'd seen him.

Not that Zoro hadn't heard from him. In fact the last night Zoro had seen Sanji, he received a text from him the moment he entered his apartment, not even two minutes from the last time he'd seen the blond. They'd texted regularly since then, holding at least a conversation a day through texts. It wasn't always consistent; there were a lot of pauses in between the texts Zoro received from the blond, like in the evenings when Zoro knew Sanji was working, but sometimes in the morning and afternoon too. Zoro didn't know what to make of that. Perhaps the blond was a late sleeper?

Zoro had asked once, but the blond hadn't replied at the time and when he did later he conveniently avoided Zoro's question. Zoro hadn't thought anything of it; it wasn't really his business what Sanji did with his day anyway...Not that he wasn't curious.

The texting was all well and good, but Zoro had kind of planned to have some sort of _actual_ contact with the blond. He tried on several occasions to set up a meeting time, even just for coffee, which Sanji either ignored or quickly shot down with an _'I'm sorry, I'm busy'_ text.

Once Zoro even tried to _call_ the blond, figuring that perhaps an actual conversation, even if it was over the phone and not face-to-face, had to be better than the sporadic text messages, right? So Zoro had called, hoping to surprise the blond.

It hadn't really worked out the way he planned.

"Yes?" A voice answered after four rings.

It had been so long since he'd last heard it, and even then it had been such a brief encounter, that the voice took Zoro by surprise. Did he always have that slight rasp? Well he was a smoker, Zoro recalled.

"Sanji?" Zoro asked for clarification.

"Zoro?" There was a lot of noise in the background. Zoro had picked midmorning to call, a safe time of day he could be sure the blond was awake but not yet at work. Zoro doubted very much that Sanji was making that much noise in his house, and he was fairly positive strippers didn't require three hours to get ready.

"What's wrong? Why are you calling?" Sanji continued, sounding confused.

"Nothing's wrong," Zoro answered. He was still preoccupied by the background noise in the phone. Were those people shouting? And what was all the banging around? "I just thought we could talk."

"I would love to," Sanji replied, and he did actually _sound_ sincere, like he really was regretting having to say his next sentence. "But I'm a little busy at the moment. Maybe next time?"

Zoro barely managed to spit a "Yeah, sure," out before the line went dead.

At that point Zoro probably would have figured the blond wasn't interested. Zoro wasn't a complete moron; he did know how to take a hint. All the avoidance and excuses were a clear message that Sanji had no real interest in getting to know Zoro. He had probably given his number out on a whim and had been regretting it ever since.

That was okay. Well, not okay, as Zoro would have liked to have gotten to know the blond better as a person, but not everything works out the way you wanted it to. So maybe it wasn't exactly okay, but Zoro could at least accept that outcome.

Except the blond still texted him regularly, and his texts told a completely different story. While the blond responded to Zoro's calls and invitations out with avoidance and excuses, his texts were playful and inviting. There was no hint in the texts Sanji sent that he wanted to be rid of Zoro. In fact, not texting Zoro at all would have been the easiest thing to do. But Sanji still continued to text him regularly, and though there were long breaks at odd hours Sanji had never _not_ replied to Zoro's text.

The texts themselves were confusing to Zoro. If the blond was avoiding having to talk to him or see him, why did he send such long winded texts? Why did he ask Zoro questions about his life like he was trying to get to know him better? _Why the hell did he send such flirty messages?_

The contents of the messages were never plain, or boring, or disinterested. Sanji asked about Zoro. He talked about himself sometimes too, though most of the things he shared were superficial and he seemed far more fascinated by Zoro. He asked about Zoro's job, family, dreams, anything he could think to ask to get to know Zoro better.

When Sanji wasn't drilling Zoro about his personal life, he was sending messages that sent all of the blood in Zoro's body rushing to his cock. This could be horribly awkward at times, like when Sanji sent these texts in the middle of Zoro's work day. These kinds of texts conjured up memories of the hot blond seated in his lap, grinding down on him until he came. These texts promised so much more as well, for the next time they met.

_If _there was a next time they met. Because at the rate things were going Zoro might never actually _see_ the blond again. He briefly considered going back to the club and finding the blond there while he was working, but he quickly scrapped that idea. It seemed a bit too stalker-like for Zoro's taste, no matter how borderline desperate he was becoming.

"Zoro, are you even listening?"

Zoro looked up from his phone to see an irritable looking Nami perched on the arm of the couch. Judging by the scathing look she was giving him, she'd been saying something she considered important and he hadn't heard a word of it.

"Sorry," Zoro grumbled, sliding his phone into his pocket and looking properly ashamed.

Her irritated gaze softened into one slightly more understanding. "Who are you talking to anyway? You've been staring at your phone all night," She asked. When he didn't answer she filled in the gap herself. "Is it Sanji?" She questioned.

Zoro thought about not answering that either, but the knowing look she was giving him now told him there was no point in denying her the truth. "Yeah."

"Oh Zoro," She sighed heavily. "I really think this might be one you should give up on."

Zoro grunted in a half-hearted agreement.

"It's obvious he's playing some kind of game," She continued. "There's plenty of other fish in the sea."

"I know, Nami," He snapped. A hurt look crossed her features for only a moment, but it was more than enough to make him feel guilty. She was his friend; she was only trying to help. "Sorry," He muttered out an apology. "What did you need?"

"Oh," Nami frowned, taking a moment to remember what exactly she'd called to him for in the first place. "Oh yeah, it's Luffy's brother," She told him. "Luffy swore he was going to come today, but he hasn't shown up."

Today they were holding a party to celebrate Luffy successfully passing an exam. Not that they really needed a reason to throw a party; Zoro was sure even if Luffy had failed they would have thrown him a party to cheer him up. The real reason today's party was a big deal was that Luffy's big brother was in town, stopping in to check on his little brother apparently. The idea was to show him a good time, but their friends had been gathered for a couple of hours now and the guest of honor had yet to arrive.

"Nice guy," Zoro snorted, taking a sip of his drink.

"He's probably lost. You of all people can't say anything about that," Nami rolled her eyes at him.

Zoro frowned. "I don't get lost. I just take detours."

"Right," She sighed. "Well in that case I'm sure Luffy's brother took a detour, but I think it's in our best interest to find him."

"Oh, okay, well good luck," He said to her, downing the rest of his drink and standing to get more.

"Wait!" She yelled, snagging his arm in a grip surprisingly strong for someone so small. "By we, I was talking about you and I, Zoro."

Zoro frowned again. "Why me? Can't you go alone?"

"You're going to make a lady go into town alone?" She asked, looking properly offended. "That's dangerous!"

Zoro snorted. Nami could pull the helpless female card all she wanted; it wasn't going to work on him.

"Besides," Nami continued, pretending not to hear his skeptical sound. "You've just been sitting here staring at your phone all night. I thought maybe it would do you some good to get out for a bit."

Zoro sighed. For how selfish she could be, Nami had her moments of extreme caring and generosity that were hard to pass up. "Fine," Zoro relented, standing from the couch. "Let's go find a big brother."

Nami smiled broadly up at him and ran to grab her keys and inform the others that she had successfully coerced Zoro to join the manhunt. Zoro rolled his eyes, taking a moment to wonder how he was so easily manipulated before deciding to wait for Nami in the car.

* * *

Despite the warm feelings he'd had for her when he'd gotten in the car, Zoro wasn't sure he could stand another minute of Nami. It wasn't that she was purposely trying to annoy him (for once) but she was getting steadily more annoyed with Luffy's brother as they drove around. The more irritated Nami got, the more pissed off Zoro got, and he was sure if they didn't find this missing older brother soon, one or both of them was literally going to explode.

"This city isn't even that big!" Nami groaned in frustration. "How can one person even be so lost?! He's way worse than you! At least you show up _eventually_."

Zoro's eye twitched in annoyance at the slight, but the last remaining tendrils of his patience pleaded with him to let it go, just once more. "Maybe he just didn't show up," Zoro suggested. "Maybe he got the wrong date or decided to skip out on stopping by."

"That's what I said," Nami sighed, flipping through her phone before holding it up so he could read the screen. "But Luffy keeps insisting he's here." The phone revealed a text conversation between her and Luffy where she made the same argument Zoro did and Luffy had replied with some stupidly upbeat text of assurance.

Zoro had never met Luffy's brother but he already didn't like him. Luffy was naïve and trusting in every definition, and anyone who could take advantage of that was lower than pond scum in Zoro's opinion, even more so when that person was a family member. Luffy had been talking about his brother coming to visit for well over a month; he was obviously more than a little excited by it.

Zoro glared at Nami's phone for a moment longer before she snatched it away and placed it back in her lap. She tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully. "Where haven't we looked?" She asked, a distant look in her eyes as she scanned through her mental map of the city for any possible streets they hadn't already combed over. After a moment she sighed heavily before starting her car up again. "We'll just do a quick scan through town again and head back. We've done all we can, we'll just have to wait for him to show up on his own I guess."

Zoro was entirely in agreement with this idea. He couldn't wait to get back to sitting on Luffy's couch, a beer in hand. He could use it after this search. Heck, he felt he'd more than earned it for the past couple of weeks. He'd even put up with Usopp's never ending, fabricated stories if it meant he could just _have a drink._

Their last turn around town proved futile; there was still no wondering lost brother to bring back to Luffy. Zoro did his best to tune out Nami's comments on their failures. At least now they could go back and Zoro could get that drink.

They were stopped at the light of an intersection. Nami was still bemoaning their failure and Zoro was staring determinedly out the window, not really seeing beyond the glass, lost in his own thoughts. It was the flash of blond hair that caught his attention. Blonds were especially eye catching to Zoro ever since he'd met Sanji. Whenever one caught his eye Zoro turned to look, hoping in vain it would be the blond he wanted to see.

Of course it never was, but that never stopped him from turning to look anyway. It was becoming a bad habit and he wondered how long it would take him to break it. It was bad enough noticing blonds everywhere he went, it was even worse than now he was starting to see the strange blonds as Sanji himself. This particular blond practically looked just like him. He was standing on the patio of a small diner across the street, holding an animated conversation with a man who was sitting in one of the patio chairs.

The blond looked _just_ like Sanji, so much so that it wasn't even fair. He had the same lithe build, the same perfect blond hair. He was smoking a cigarette just like Zoro knew Sanji did. They even had the same unusually curled eyebrows…

Wait a minute...

Zoro was out of the car before his mind even registered the action. He vaguely heard Nami screeching at him from the car, demanding to know what the hell he thought he was doing, but he didn't really listen to her. The honking of a car Zoro blindly stumbled in front of managed to catch his attention, but only because it caught the blond's attention as well, and the blond was now staring at him with a look of wide eyed surprise.

It was definitely Sanji. Zoro hadn't been able to forget his face since the last time he'd seen him, though his memories hardly did the blond's good looks justice.

"Zoro!" Sanji exclaimed in surprised, looking just as amazed at seeing him in person as Zoro felt seeing Sanji in person.

He'd made it across the street, deaf to the angry protests of the drivers behind him. He was too distracted taking in the scene before him. Sanji was dressed up; a crisp, pin-striped blue shirt was neatly tucked into freshly pressed black slacks, and his shoes were shined perfectly. He looked like he was dressed to impress, and Zoro's eyes flicked down to the man sitting in the chair. The man looked between him and Sanji, slightly confused but otherwise undisturbed.

The man in the chair was young, easily around their age, and handsome in that sort of devil-may-care way. His hair hung in a shaggy mop on his head, unruly but not unattractive in the slightest. He wore a pair of cargo shorts that hung low on his hips and had a button up shirt hanging carelessly over his shoulders. He hadn't bothered to actually button it up though, as if he had only put it on because he had to. Not that he needed a shirt, he was rock hard, defined muscle that would make even a man like Zoro drool were he not preoccupied at the moment. He had clear, honest, brown eyes and a splatter of freckles across his cheeks and nose that gave him an approachable charm.

Zoro looked back to Sanji's appearance. He was certainly dressed to impress…and Zoro easily put two and two together.

"Oh," Was all he managed to get out, while his mind churned with all the more impactful things he'd like to say.

_You could have just said you weren't interested._

_Why did you bother leading me on?_

_Don't worry, you won't hear from me again._

_You really shouldn't cheat on your boyfriend._

Sanji seemed to read Zoro's thoughts. "Wait, Zoro, it's not—" He started.

"ZORO!" A high pitch voice shrieked, cutting off the end of the blond's sentence. Zoro didn't know if that relieved him or not. "What were you thinking you _idiot_!" Nami continued, shouting so loudly her voice cracked on the insult. "You could have just _said_ you wanted out of the car! You almost got yourself killed! What was so important that you had to—" She broke off, taking in the people before her, the people Zoro obviously risked his life to talk to. "Sanji!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah, how wonderful to see you again, Miss Nami," He replied, bowing deeply, as charming as ever.

"Yeah..." Nami replied, uncertainly, looking between Zoro and Sanji. Zoro had that closed off look he wore when something heavy was obviously weighing on his thoughts, and despite his polite greeting, Sanji looked upset and uncomfortable. What exactly had happened while she parked the car?

Another person was there as well, seated in a chair between the two men, though she hadn't noticed him until he shifted in his chair, looking like he was enjoying a show.

"Ace!" She exclaimed, recognizing the brown eyes and freckles. She'd never met him in person, but Luffy had shown her a picture before. Of course the Ace in the picture was a much younger, not quite as fine looking specimen than the Ace that sat before her.

He blinked once before a large smile spread across his face. Yes, he was definitely related to Luffy. "I'm going to take a guess and say you're Nami?" He asked. He looked up to Zoro again, as if seeing him in a new light. "I thought your name was familiar. You're _the_ Zoro!"

"You know them?" Sanji asked, mildly surprised.

"They're friends of my little brother!" Ace said happily.

"We've been looking all over for you!" Nami frowned, she was obviously going to scold him whether she knew him well or not.

"Oh, good," Sanji nodded though he was looking slight shell shocked by the whole event. "You can go home then."

"Sorry!" Ace shrugged, not actually looking sorry in the least. He stood, pulling a pack out from under the table he was sitting at and slinging it over his shoulder. "We can go now though!"

Nami sighed, she was surrounded by idiots. Now it looked like there was going to be one more around and honestly she wondered why she didn't just pack up and move far, far away. Well at least that was one problem resolved. She looked between Sanji and Zoro. Now that was another matter entirely. She should probably keep her nose out of it…but, well…

"Sanji?" She addressed the blond, a warm smile on her face. "We're having a small party. Just a get together of friends, but we'd love for you to come."

Zoro was glaring at her like she'd just shoved a knife in his back. Maybe she had, but she wasn't going to let him drink this particular problem away. That was hardly good for his health.

"Oh, I'd love to my dear," He was speaking to Nami, but his eyes kept flicking over, and when he spoke the last line he looked regretfully at Zoro. "But unfortunately I'm rather busy at the moment."

Zoro shrugged, turning and walking away like he didn't have a care in the world. "Let's go, Nami," He called behind him. "We ruined his date anyway."

Sanji froze at those words, his spine going rigid and his shoulders tensing. His face twisted with a range of conflicting emotions that caught Nami's curiosity. Hurt, anger, frustration, and finally resolve played across his features.

"Actually, Miss Nami, would you mind giving me just a moment? I'd love to come but I need just a moment," He said to her, his movements agitated and stiff, but his tone polite.

"Of course!" Nami smiled brightly at him.

Zoro was giving her that look again, but she resolutely ignored it. There was something to this situation that didn't quite make sense. There was something she wasn't seeing, and if she wasn't seeing it she knew Zoro wasn't. He was even denser than Luffy sometimes.

"I thought we were in a hurry," Zoro grumbled.

"Well we spent all this time looking for Ace, what's a few more minutes going to hurt?" She asked innocently.

Zoro huffed in irritation but remained quiet, resigning himself to his fate.

* * *

The car ride back to Luffy and Usopp's apartment was awkwardly silent. The silence was occasionally broken by Ace, who apparently didn't feel the tension in the small car the way the others did. He asked about Luffy mostly, and Nami was grateful that at least he wasn't asking any questions pertaining to the two stonily silent men in the car.

She glanced over at Zoro in the passenger seat. He was staring determinedly out the window, refusing to acknowledge her even though she was positive he could feel her eyes on him. The look on his face that she could only see reflected in the glass was cool and passive but she hadn't seen him move a single muscle since they'd gotten in the car and she could see the tension hardwired in his shoulders. It was typical for Zoro not to show his weaknesses when he was uncomfortable, that was nothing new. What made her sad was the fact that Zoro was so uncomfortable in this situation that he had to shut down that way.

Nami looked in the rearview mirror, observing Sanji in the seat behind her. He too was staring fixedly out the window, but where Zoro was displaying a perfectly calm mask, Sanji was practically vibrating with nerves. He chewed thoughtfully on his lip, probably a nervous habit in the absence of a cigarette. In his hands he flipped his lighter, open and closing it when a soft clinking sound. Unlike Zoro's blank and emotionless face, Sanji's face spanned over a wide array of emotions. He could have been acting out one of Shakespeare's plays in his mind, going by the way his face changed. Frustrated, sad, hopeful, sad again, aggravated, resolved, nervous, the emotions switched with no rhyme or reason to their pattern.

Nami sighed again. She really was surrounded by idiots.

* * *

Nami had never felt more relieved to be in Luffy's apartment than she did after that car ride. The tension between her friend in the blond was more than a little uncomfortable, and while Ace proved to be more polite and mature than his brother, he was really no less strange. After successfully uniting the brothers and properly introducing Ace (because apparently Luffy was too excited to do so) and Sanji to the others, she gratefully took a drink with her and joined Vivi and Kaya. Men were honestly too insane.

Zoro made a beeline for the couch, stopping only to grab a beer before taking up his previous seat. He was glad Usopp wasn't around, he wasn't even sure he could stand the younger man's stories right now. His nerves were shot and his patience waning at an alarmingly fast pace. It took a lot to really work at Zoro's emotions this way, and why this particular instance was one of these rare events that Zoro couldn't simply meditate away he had no idea. Then again, Sanji had been able to get under his skin and invade his thoughts since the beginning.

Zoro had never in his life been cheated on. Or maybe cheated _with_ was the proper way to put it, since Sanji hadn't actually given them a chance at a real relationship. Zoro was probably the side man to an otherwise completely happy relationship. That certainly explained Sanji's evasive behavior, as well as the long periods of unexplained silence at odd hours. It wouldn't do to be caught texting a lover when your boyfriend was present.

"Zoro we don't have food," Luffy announced directly into Zoro's face, abruptly cutting off all thoughts of the blond momentarily while his mind attempted to make sense of the shape of Luffy's too-close face and process the words the younger man had just spoken.

After blinking a couple of times and rolling the contextless words around in his head he finally came up with a response. "What? What happened to all the food Kaya brought?"

Luffy's constant movements stilled for a moment and he looked away guiltily. "I might have eaten some of it."

"Some of it?" Zoro asked in disbelief.

"Or all of it. You guys took a really long time!" He added defensively, shooting Zoro a look of betrayal as if it was actually his fault.

A headache was forming; Zoro could feel it building right behind his eyes and he rubbed at his temple in an attempt to ease it away. "Okay, um," Zoro paused to think. He was no cook, none of them were. That was why Kaya usually catered their gatherings. The part of Zoro that was on its last leg wanted to tell Luffy to suffer, but the still rational part of his mind reminded him that there was no food for him either, and he was starting to get hungry. "Call the pizza place, we'll just order some pizzas."

"We can do that?" Luffy asked, a look of wonder on his features. "You have money?"

"Well, not a lot, but everyone will have to pitch in," Zoro explained.

"Oh," Luffy paused again. "Zoro, I don't have any money."

"Neither do I for that matter," Usopp added. "We just paid our rent," He explained.

"I haven't gotten my allowance yet this week," Chopper pitched in.

The four of them looked to the girls. It was no secret that Nami always had money on her after all.

"Don't even think about asking," She replied without looking at them. "You all owe me enough money as is."

Luffy looked despairingly back to Zoro. "We're going to starve!"

Zoro thought to remind Luffy that after eating enough food for a large crowd, he was unlikely to suffer the effects of starvation any time soon, but he was interrupted before he could do so.

"I might be able to help," Sanji offered, looking everywhere that wasn't Zoro.

"You have money?" Luffy asked, looking at the blond as if he'd found a new hero.

"Well no," Sanji shrugged. "But I can cook."

"You can?!" Luffy asked in wonder, his adoration for the blond obviously growing into near worship.

"Wait," Zoro interrupted before Luffy could begin drooling all over the floors. "That's all well and good, but Luffy and Usopp don't exactly have a fully stocked pantry. They're a little sparse on their shopping."

Luffy pouted. "It's true. I ate all the meat and Usopp used all the condiments for his experiments."

What exactly Usopp was experimenting on that required the use of condiments Zoro didn't know, and he wasn't about to ask. It was probably safer not to. "So, there you have it. We would have to go out and buy some ingredients, and that takes us back to the first problem of having no money," Zoro explained carefully not looking at the blond while speaking to him. It was much easier to remain neutral if he was staring at the stained beige carpeting and not into Sanji's deep blue eyes.

"Not really," Zoro could see Sanji shrug out of the corner of his eye. "You'd be surprised at what I can come up with, even if I have very limited ingredients. So, Luffy," He turned to address the younger man, who was gazing up at him with a look of adoration. "Show me to the kitchen?"

Zoro watched Luffy happily lead the blond into the apartment's small and mostly unused kitchen. Despite it being against his better judgment and despite the fact that he had made it his life's mission to ignore the blond's existence from now on, he couldn't help but follow them. Mainly because he wanted to see the blond embarrass himself when he realized Usopp and Luffy had less than he'd anticipated and have to admit defeat. It would really make Zoro's day to see the smug blond bastard fail.

He leaned against the door way to the kitchen, watching as Luffy perched himself on the counter and fired off questions faster than his new cook could answer them. Sanji for his part, opened the fridge, wincing at the contents, before moving to the cabinets and giving them a cursory glance. If Zoro looked carefully, he could almost see the gears in Sanji's head turning as they tried to find something edible among the hodge podge of undesirable food.

Just when Zoro was sure he'd admit defeat, Sanji turned around with a bright, warm, and completely heart-stopping smile. Or at least it stopped Zoro's heart, he'd forgotten the blond could be so much better than just sex on legs.

"I can work with this," The blond announced happily. "It's not as bad as I thought it was. Now," And instantly the smile fell from his face, replaced by a stern look of determination. "Get your butt off the counter and let me get to work."

Luffy complied readily, practically bouncing with excitement. He quickly raced off to the living room to inform the other's there would be food coming soon. Zoro should have followed, he should have returned to the couch with his drink and continued what he'd planned to do with his evening, and that was to drink the whole night out of existence. That was what he should have done, but instead he found himself watching mesmerized as the blond became pulling ingredients as random from the cabinets and the fridge and assembling them on the countertop. Zoro could not even hazard a guess as to what the blond was planning to make with the mess he was gathering, and doubted very highly that it would truly be edible, but he could not tear his eyes away from the blond.

Sanji had a certain grace to him, a sort of flow of energy that blended smoothly from one pose to the next without any wasted movement. It was like Zoro's sword stances he'd practiced so many times he could do them in his sleep. He'd spent years perfecting them to give them the same grace that the blond was displaying in such a casual setting.

Sanji slid a knife from the half buried knife block and began easily chopping through something on the cutting board. His slices were even and sure, the knife never missing its mark. It was incredible, almost unbelievable. It was too perfect, even for someone who cooked regularly. Kaya cooked them meals often, but Zoro have never detected such perfect grace in her movements. Sanji looked like he'd been born doing this.

"If you're just going to stand there staring at me," The blond spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "You could help," Sanji glance sideways at him, one deep blue eye fixed steadily on him, the other hidden under a curtain of hair.

It was a dangerous look. Inviting, captivating, and alluring, it was hard to resist. It was the same look Sanji had given him the last time they'd met in person, the one that had roped him into the blond's life in the first place. Seeing it now, Zoro was glad he and Sanji hadn't met in person until this point. If he'd been on the receiving end of this look every day, he might not have been able to escape the web the blond surely would have trapped him in.

"I'd rather not," Zoro replied, pushing off the doorway with one shoulder and making his way to the fridge. "I was just coming to grab a beer." Never mind that he already had one in the living room, not even half empty. He'd drink them both anyway, and having an excuse was better than getting caught staring for nothing.

Zoro looked back at the blond in time to see a flash of hurt cross his features. It was like a punch to the stomach for Zoro; it was just as painful, and it left him with a lingering feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach.

But the look was gone almost as soon as Zoro had seen it. "Hm," Sanji hummed through pursed lips, turning back to the cutting board and continuing his chopping as it nothing was amiss.

Zoro hesitated for a minute, hovering uncertainly by the fridge, unsure of what to do. Should he ask the blond what was wrong? Sanji looked unbothered now, and Zoro could almost believe he'd imagined the look. Except the sight of the blond's pained face was still seared into his mind, and he knew it wasn't just his imagination.

Deciding to leave it alone, he took his beer and headed back for the living room. It wasn't his business anyway; he had nothing to do with the blond. Maybe Luffy's brother could cheer him up. That was his job, after all. That in mind, Zoro headed back into the living room, determined to completely forget the blond for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Whatever Sanji had decided to make didn't take long, which was good because Luffy was becoming particularly annoying and his brother has long since passed out. It was just over half an hour later when the cook stuck his head out of the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready. Luffy and Ussop were off like rockets for the kitchen the moment the words left Sanji's lips. Ace was awake in an instant and followed the other two immediately. Chopper brought up the rear of their dinnertime rush. Zoro stayed behind. He didn't feel particularly hungry, and it wasn't worth fighting in the warzone that the kitchen had probably become.

Sanji emerged from the kitchen, carefully balancing plates on his arms. He approached the girls, who had also decided the food probably wasn't worth the fight.

"Ladies," He smiled charmingly. "I took the liberty of dishing you each up a plate; I hope you have an appetite."

"Thank you, Sanji," Nami cooed, rewarding the gushing idiot with a wide smile. "We were afraid there wouldn't be any left."

The blond spoke with the girls for a while before excusing himself. He approached Zoro slowly, like one would approach a feral animal. "I brought this for you," He said, presenting Zoro with a plate of his own.

Zoro had half a mind to turn it down, but he figured the best way to get through this evening would be to at least act civil. Plus the smell wafting from whatever was on the plate was absolutely heavenly and Zoro was curious as to how it would taste.

"Thanks," Zoro muttered, accepting the plate.

Sanji smiled, seemingly satisfied, before taking a seat on the couch next to Zoro. Zoro bristled slightly at the blond's choice in seating, and willed him mentally to return to the girls. Sanji showed no sign of moving though, and Zoro returned his focus to the food on his plate.

A few bites in the blond spoke. "Is it good?"

Zoro frowned. It was delicious, but it was painful to admit that to Sanji. The blond had already reeled him in just to watch him fall, admitting to the bastard that he was a good cook as well wasn't really something Zoro wanted to do.

"'S alright," Zoro shrugged, wiping the drool from the side of his lips.

Sanji sighed and returned to his own food, eating it slowly and displaying manners that were entirely out of place among the sloppy eaters in Luffy and Usopp's apartment. Luffy hadn't even bothered with silverware and was fighting with Ace and Usopp for the food on their plates as well. The other two had at least the dignity to use forks, but they were shoveling food into their mouths at lightning speed and shouting at Luffy through half chewed bits. Zoro wasn't the most sophisticated guy around, but their behavior even made him cringe.

Perhaps that was why Sanji had come to sit by him instead of by Ace. Not that Zoro really knew him well enough to say, but Sanji had always seemed rather put together. Even now he was taking small bites, chewing them carefully and thoroughly and swallowing before taking another bite. He was definitely completely different in his manners than his boyfriend, that was for sure.

"You gotta put up with that every day?" Zoro asked him, pointing his thumb in the direction of the trio of eaters.

Zoro had made the comment with the intention of breaking the air of tension between them. Well…partly. He wasn't over his bitter feelings yet, and while it wasn't like him to act spiteful, he could feel the sneering feeling of arrogance boiling just beneath the surface when he asked. After all, _he _certainly had better table manners than that.

But he'd held his emotions at bay, and when he'd made the comment he had asked it innocently, as a joke really. He was not expecting the sudden fierce glare the blond sent him; the blue eye frighteningly ice cold, the swirled eyebrow furrowed in rage.

"Shut up," Sanji growled. It was a low, fearsome sound. Quiet, but what it lacked in volume it made up for ferocity, and it had Zoro backpedaling.

"Whoa, hey," He leaned back a bit, putting his hands up in defense. "I was just joking, I wasn't trying to insult your boyfri-"

"Shut up!" Sanji repeated, louder now but no less dangerously.

Louder meant others could hear it, and it was impossible to miss the threat in the blond's voice. As a result several pairs of eyes turned to the two on the couch, curiously observing Sanji's fearsome glare and Zoro's uncertain reaction. Zoro could feel their stares on him, but refused to meet any of them at the moment. He wasn't sure what had caused such a violent reaction from the blond, but at the moment he was afraid to look away.

Sanji seemed to notice their stares too, and did look away from Zoro long enough to shoot his glare out across the room. A couple of them had enough shame (or perhaps it was caused by fear) to look away. Usopp and Chopper in particular flinched under the blond's glare. Kaya and Vivi politely looked away out of respect for what was obviously a private conversation.

The rest were far less polite and continued to stare. Nami in particular watched with wide eyes shining with worry, and Ace watched them with careful but casual observance. Luffy looked between the two curiously between bites of food (which he was now taking from his distracted brother's plate) probably wondering how anyone could have reason to fight with such good food around.

Having noticed their audience, Sanji dropped the volume of his voice before speaking again. "You shitty marimo," He hissed, glaring at Zoro again. "You really are a brain dead idiot," He said before standing and making his way to the kitchen. The sound of running water could be heard along with the clinking of dishes. Apparently the cook was now going to clean.

Zoro sat stunned on the couch for a moment. The blond had only spoken a couple of sentences but the effect had been the same as if he'd punched Zoro in the gut instead. It took Zoro almost a full minute for Zoro to process the words, another to give them meaning, and another to register that Sanji had used that stupid nickname again, the one he'd given to Zoro the night they'd met.

It only took Zoro another ten seconds after that to leap from the couch and follow the blond.

Nami sighed, watching her friend chase after the man he'd been all but obsessed with these past couple of weeks. She hoped they'd be able to repair whatever it was between them, for Zoro's sake. Of course if they didn't she knew the blame would rest with her idiot friend.

She looked over at Ace, his appearance had seemed to be the start of all of this, and Nami could only assume why. Nami knew the conclusions Zoro had probably drawn, seeing Ace and Sanji together. She'd drawn them too at first. After all Sanji was clearly not so busy that he couldn't have answered Zoro's texts, unless he was hiding something.

But Ace had already lost interest in the fighting duo; instead he was chastising Luffy for stealing his food. There was no trace of unease or sadness in his movements, not even a spark of curiosity over what was happening between the two men in the kitchen. Not usual behavior for a possible lover.

And besides that, Ace was new to town, only stopping in to see his brother. It was unlikely that he had time for a fling with Sanji, even if he had been so late to the party. No, it really didn't make sense, and if Zoro had a drop of common sense he would see that. With another heavy sigh she silently wished her friend the best of luck. He may be a complete idiot, but he deserved it.

* * *

Sanji's back was to him when Zoro entered the kitchen. The line of the blond's spine was too straight, his shoulders too stiff to be completely normal, and though he showed no sign of realizing Zoro had entered the room as well Zoro had the feeling he knew. Maybe he'd been waiting, and Zoro sort of hoped that was true. He was still hurt that he'd been lied to, but he really had come to like the blond over the past couple of weeks, even if their communication was just through text message.

"I'm sorry," Zoro said, announcing his arrival by way of apology. Sanji stiffened momentarily before continuing his dishwashing as if Zoro hadn't spoken.

Zoro floundered in the silence for a moment, unsure of how to proceed next. Fortunately for him, Sanji finally spoke.

"Do you even know what you're apologizing for?" The blond asked quietly, not turning from the sink, though he'd stopped the water and set the dishes down.

It was a weird question, because to Zoro it sounded like Sanji already knew what he was apologizing for, and already knew it would be the wrong answer. Zoro thought carefully for a second, trying to see things from every angle. He was trained to be able to do that in any battle situation and he'd won many tournaments as a result. Why shouldn't that same principle work in this situation?

So Zoro thought carefully. He'd made a comment about Ace's bad manners, and upset the cook…that was fairly straightforward right? But if the answer was that obvious, why did the blond sound so sure Zoro was going to be wrong?

No matter how hard Zoro thought about it, he couldn't come up with a different solution. Deciding Sanji was probably just being an idiot, Zoro finally gave his answer.

"Because I insulted yo-"

"Don't even finish that sentence!" Sanji roared, spinning from the sink and facing Zoro. The rage was plainly written on his face, though Zoro noticed it did nothing to temper his good looks. Now was probably not the best time to notice these things.

"Are you honestly that damn stupid?!" Sanji continued. "Shit! I knew I hadn't been talking to a genius these past couple weeks but I had no idea you were honestly this dumb!"

Okay, well that one stung a bit. Zoro's pride wiped away what was left of his good will and patience and he found himself shouting back.

"Fine then!" Zoro yelled. "If I'm so dumb, why don't you tell me what I'm missing! Because I don't have a PhD in how to undress, so I clearly don't get it!"

Sanji visibly flinched at the insult, and Zoro almost felt guilty. Almost. Except that it had been Sanji that had led him on, Sanji that had crushed his hopes, and Sanji that had insulted him first. Zoro had been trying to play it nice, but he could only do that for so long. He was only human after all.

"You're an idiot," Sanji repeated, significantly more calm now. It was barely a murmur and Zoro wondered if he was even supposed to hear it.

"Yeah, you've said that," Zoro frowned.

There was a quiet pause where Zoro waited for Sanji to continue the fight. The blond looked like he had a lot to say, Zoro could practically see the thoughts flashing by behind the one visible eye as the other man took a moment to gather them together.

"I don't even know him," Sanji frowned, flicking his head to the living room.

Whatever Zoro had been expecting, that was not it. He's expected a crude insult, another slight about his intelligence, or even a weak defense of Sanji's actions. He had not expected that particular sentence to come from the blond at all.

"What?" Zoro managed, his brows furrowed and confusion clouding his thoughts.

"Ace," Sanji clarified. "I don't even know him. I only met him maybe an hour before you showed up."

This explanation did little to clear up any of Zoro's confusion. Rather it only added to it, making Zoro more confused than ever. Wasn't the blond dressed up? And he was chatting so familiarly with the freckled man it was hard to believe they weren't well acquainted. It didn't make any sense to Zoro.

However, Zoro had always been good at detecting lies. Maybe it was because he'd been around Usopp for so long, though the younger man's lies were usually obvious and easy to call. Still, Zoro had a nose for dishonesty, and he couldn't detect any in Sanji at the moment. It didn't make even a spark of sense in Zoro's mind, but Sanji seemed to be telling the truth so...what was going on?

"I have a hard time believing that," Zoro confessed, leveling Sanji with a serious look. He didn't want to seem like he was insulting the blond. He wasn't trying to accuse him of lying, he wanted to understand.

Sanji sighed, a heavy, weary sound that almost made Zoro feel tired just hearing it. "I guess I do have some confessing to do," Sanji said, scratching at the black of his head in an act of frustration. This was obviously not a comfortable topic for the blond, and Zoro waited patiently for him to find the words to explain himself.

Finally with another heavy sigh, he spoke again. "I'm not really a stripper," Sanji finally said.

Zoro raised an eyebrow skeptically. He had thought Usopp was a bad liar, but Sanji was certainly doing his best to outdo Usopp's most outrageous lies.

Sanji seemed to realize what he'd said and corrected himself. "I mean, I am a stripper...let's call it exotic dancer, okay?" He flushed. "I am an exotic dancer, but I wasn't always. I mean..." His hands gestured awkwardly in the air as if he was trying to manifest the right words into being. "I didn't really plan to be."

Zoro didn't comment. He doubted very much that many people planned to be strippers…er, exotic dancers. He didn't think that was the end of Sanji's confession, so he waited for the rest.

Sanji paused, perhaps waiting for Zoro's two cents on the matter, but when it didn't come he threw Zoro a grateful look and continued. "That place you saw me at today, that's my real job. It's my old man's restaurant. I'm the sous chef," He smirked as Zoro before explaining slowly. "It means I'm second in command, right below the head chef, my old man."

Zoro scowled. "I know what a sous chef is, asshole," He growled, but something had occurred to him. "So the reason you are so dressed up…"

"Yeah," Sanji nodded seeming to know what Zoro was asking before he even finished asking it. "This is my standard work attire. And I'm acting head chef right now, so I have to look the part," He said, almost smugly, tugging on the front of his suit jacket proudly.

He had every reason to be proud of course. Sanji wore the suit like a second skin, and as irresistible as Zoro had thought he would look without clothes, he looked just as irresistible covered in fine tailored layers of them.

"You're acting head chef?" Zoro asked, curiously. Hadn't Sanji just said his old man was the head chef?

The smug look fell from his face again. "Well, yeah," He paused, apparently this was the more difficult of things to talk about. "My old man got sick. The doctor's say he'll recover, but he's been hospitalized for a while now so I've had to take over."

"That restaurant was his dream," Sanji continued. "He put his whole life into it, so I really can't fuck this up…" Sanji paused. "But I'm kind of fucking it up. I don't have the old man's eye for budgets I guess and with his hospital bills…" He trailed off, but Zoro didn't need to hear the rest.

"So you got a second job," Zoro guessed.

"It's not really glorious, I know, but it pays well, and it doesn't conflict with my schedule at the restaurant," He smiled slightly. "And I get to be surrounded by ladies every night; it's not really that bad a gig."

So he said, but his smile faded into something a little bitter and Zoro knew Sanji wasn't really as pleased with the "perks" of his job as he claimed to be.

"So you're a cook," Zoro said, attempting to set the facts straight in his own mind.

"A chef," Sanji corrected.

Zoro snorted. "Whatever you say, Cook," The blond opened his mouth to protest but Zoro continued. "But you needed the extra money, so you got a second job, correct?"

"Yes," Sanji nodded, looking a little ashamed.

Well that all…made a lot of sense. It explained why Sanji was too busy to actually meet in person; he was nearly constantly bouncing from one job to the next. It explained the long periods of unexplained silence between the texts Zoro would receive. It explained why Sanji didn't have time to talk the one time Zoro had randomly decided to call him; he was busy working in and overseeing the kitchen. It explained everything that had confused Zoro over the past couple weeks.

There was only one thing it did not explain.

"So...Ace," Zoro prompted, hoping for a more thorough explanation.

"I told you already," Sanji frowned. "I just met him. He turned up at the restaurants back door, claiming he was starving. I have a policy against letting people go hungry, you know? And he didn't even have a shirt," Sanji laughed. "I thought he was really homeless. So I lent him a shirt and fed him. I was just trying to get his story when you showed up."

Well...Zoro felt like an idiot. He'd completely misread all the signs and invented a horrible situation in his mind. Who was he, Chopper? He should know better than that. Perhaps that just showed how emotionally invested he'd become into the cook. He hadn't been able to see him, but the texts Zoro had received from him never failed to brighten his day. At some point he'd really come to like the man on the other side of the phone.

Only one thing was left to bother him. "Why didn't you just tell me this stuff in the first place?" Zoro asked.

Sanji blushed, just slightly, but the arrogant pride Zoro was used to seeing from him had returned. "I was trying to get you to fall for me, Idiot-marimo," Sanji smirked. "I didn't want to scare you off with my personal problems before I even got the chance to seduce you again."

"Stupid swirly-brow cook," Zoro muttered, stepping closer to the blond. "I thought I caught your attention the first time."

Sanji laughed. "Sure Marimo, and you weren't interested in me at all."

By now the space between them was nearly nonexistent, but neither of them made another move. Probably because each was waiting for the other to move, or at least that's what Zoro was waiting for. He wasn't sure about Sanji, but maybe the cook was thinking the same thing.

Zoro for one couldn't believe the blond was letting him stand this close. He had been such an idiot; he was shocked Sanji hadn't just left as soon as they'd cleared the air. He considered himself lucky just to stand this close and be able to take in the slight smell of cooking oils and spices that came from the cook. He was so, so lucky for this opportunity and he wasn't going to let it go to waste.

He leaned closer. The cook tipped his chin up as if he were going to meet Zoro's lips, but Zoro had other business to attend to first. Bypassing the offered lips (which was a testament to Zoro's self-control, really), Zoro moved to the blond's ear. His lips barely brushed against it, but it was enough to make the cook shiver. Zoro smirked with a sense of triumph before he spoke.

"I'm sorry," He whispered softly and sincerely. They were just two simple words, but Zoro rarely uttered them. He didn't live his life in a way he felt he needed to apologize for very often. As it was, the only two people he'd apologized to in recent years had been Nami and Luffy. And those had been rare, once in a life time events, never to be repeated because Zoro had thoroughly learned his lesson on both occasions. Sanji deserved it though, Zoro had been an ass and if there was one person Zoro owed an apology to right now, it was Sanji.

Not that Sanji exactly understood the value of a Zoro apology. "For what?" He asked it playfully, but Zoro knew it was just like the question earlier. Sanji wanted to see if Zoro really got it.

And he did. "For being an idiot," He said softly, and the cook chuckled. "For jumping to conclusions," Zoro continued. "And for not having a little faith in you."

Sanji pulled back, just far enough to look Zoro in the eyes. Those gorgeous blue eyes met his for a moment before Sanji pulled him closer for a kiss. Zoro happily obliged this time, meeting the blond's lips for something that was gentle and tender for a moment before giving way to something much needier and hungry.

One of Zoro's hands came to rest on Sanji's neck, his thumb tracing the defined line of the cook's jaw. The other threaded through soft blond strands, savoring the feel of the golden hair that had been all but haunting him the past two weeks. Sanji's hands ran the front of Zoro's chest, feeling the dips and curves of muscles hidden beneath clothing they stopped at the marimo's waist, hooking him in and pulling him closer.

They're lips parted tongues meeting in a brief battle for dominance before Sanji broke away for oxygen, gasping for air he'd been deprived of. Zoro didn't let that stop him though, he allowed Sanji to breathe while he followed the path of his thumb on the blond's jaw and moved to trail kisses down his pale neck.

"Zoro," Sanji gasped, struggling to take in air even more so now. His hand laced through the thick green hair, nails just barely scratching the scalp and pulling a pleased hum from the moss-head. "Come home with me tonight?"

Zoro stopped in his movements, apparently frozen by the blond's words. He pulled away, a look of disbelief on his face as he met the blond's gaze.

"Don't look at me like that, Marimo," Sanji couldn't help but laugh. He quickly quieted his own laughter, reaching out to tug Zoro's lips back to his own for a brief kiss.

"You're sure?" Zoro asked, genuinely surprised by the cook's invitation. He figured he'd get to kiss the man, savor his taste and the texture of the pale skin before they'd be forced to separate and go back to communicating only through texts until the next time the blond cook could take a night off.

Sanji hooked one slender finger into the front of Zoro's jeans, tugging him closer. "I told you once, Marimo," He whispered teasingly. "I want you. All of you. Now more than ever."

Zoro wasn't about to pass up the invitation. He snatched the cook's wrist and attempted to drag him toward the door. Unfortunately the teasing bastard had other ideas and dug his heels into the floor to prevent Zoro from whisking him away.

"Wait!" Sanji called, looking at Zoro in a mixture of irritation and amusement. "Shouldn't you tell the others we're leaving?"

In Zoro's honest opinion the others could be vaporized right this moment. "They'll notice when we're not here, so come on," He gave another futile tug to the cook's wrist.

"Not so fast," Now Sanji laughed and Zoro wondered if perhaps the bastard was actually _enjoying_ stringing him along. Zoro fixed him with a scowl but Sanji ignored it. "I still have to finish the dishes, you go make our excuses and we'll leave in a few minutes, okay?"

It was not okay, not really, but Zoro didn't really seem to have a choice in the matter. Not listening to the cook would probably result in the cook leaving without him and Zoro having a miserable night alone.

"Fine," Zoro sighed, rolling his eyes to convey his actual feelings about this whole thing. "Wash fast," He ordered and with that left the cook in the kitchen and made his way into the living room.

* * *

"Is Sanji dead?" Asked Luffy when he noticed Zoro's arrival.

"What?" Zoro frowned.

"We heard you guys yelling," Usopp shrugged. "And you came back in here without him. He must be dead."

Zoro was hardly in the mood for his friends' antics and jokes. "He's not dead. He's doing your dishes," Zoro ran a hand over his face, mustering up a bit of patience. After all, he just had to get through this and then he and the cook could leave. "And after that we're leaving."

"Where are you going?" Nami asked curiously, though the arc in her eyebrows and mischievous glint in her eye suggested she already knew the answer to that.

"Back to Sanji's house," Zoro admitted through gritted teeth. He almost wished he had a better lie to make up, but he wasn't good at that sort of thing.

"Oh, are you guys having a sleep over?!" Luffy asked, spinning around. His eyes were shining the way they usually did when someone offered him food. "Can I come?"

"I want to come too!" Chopper spoke up.

"Me too!" Usopp cried. "Sanji's cooking is the best!"

"NO!" Both Nami and Zoro shouted at the same time. He casted an appreciative glace her way. She may be a nosy witch but at least she was sometimes on his side of things.

"Why not?!" Luffy cried. "That's not fair Zoro! You just want to hog Sanji all for yourself!"

He most certainly did, but probably not for the reasons Luffy was thinking of.

Ace had been sitting quietly through this whole exchange, watching Zoro's reactions and listening to his brother's stupid whining. "Luffy," He finally spoke up, resting a hand on Luffy's head in an attempt to stop the younger man from bouncing around quite so much.

"But it's not fair, Ace!" Luffy cried.

"Life's not fair sometimes, kid," Ace sighed. "But Sanji really likes Zoro, so he's going to get to know him better, okay?"

Luffy pouted and seemed to think this was still completely not okay, but he didn't speak another word of protest.

Ace seemed to approve of this response and turned to Zoro. "He really likes you," Ace smiled. "He talks about you a lot."

Zoro wasn't entirely sure about how he felt about that bit of information. On the one hand it made him extremely happy that the blond had been talking about him, especially to someone as classically good looking as Ace. One the other, he still had a grudge against Ace, no matter how unfounded it was. It was a prejudice that would take time to kill. Up until a few minutes ago Ace had been the man that had taken Sanji from him, and those last few tendrils of bitterness Zoro felt on the matter were hard to kill off.

It really didn't help the older brother's case when he sighed wistfully and said. "Damn, the good ones are always taken."

"I'm leaving," Zoro announced again but didn't wait to hear more protests. He headed back to the kitchen in time to find the blond drying the last dish.

"Can we go now?" Zoro asked.

Sanji turned to him, a smile on his face. "Of course we can!"

Zoro didn't waste another minute in leading Sanji out of the apartment. They were met with pleads for Sanji not to leave in the living room, but Zoro ignored them, dragging the cook behind him. If Sanji felt a pang of guilt for leaving those idiots behind he didn't show it, instead he obediently followed the man in front of him.

Zoro didn't stop moving until they'd reached the blond's car. He probably would have kept them going, but Sanji had to stop to fish the keys out of his pocket and unlock the door. Even once that was done, the car didn't seem to move fast enough, and the traffic lights seemed to be set to torture him with reds.

Since when had he been this desperate? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steading his twitchy nerves and reminding himself that there was no rush. He wasn't going to lose Sanji in the next twenty minutes, there was time. Feeling infinitely more balanced and stable he opened his eyes again, looking to the blond beside him. Sanji looked back at him and smiled, and Zoro lost it his stability again. Damn this blond bastard.

It seemed like ages later that they finally pulled up…outside of the diner that Zoro had found Sanji at earlier. Zoro was just about to look to the blond for an explanation when Sanji spoke.

"My old man and I have an apartment upstairs," He explained. "I told you the old man invested his whole life in it." He gave Zoro a half smile before climbing out of the car.

Zoro followed quickly as the blond led them to the back door of the building. Sanji opened the door and revealed the diner's kitchen, but only for a moment before the blond hauled him in for a kiss. If Zoro had felt like he was going out of his mind the whole trip here, Sanji was now assuring him he felt the same.

Sanji attacked his lips with dire need and Zoro returned it tenfold. Sanji's hands tangled into his hair, tugging at it until Zoro got the hint to tilt his head and deepen the kiss. Their lips parted, tongues connecting almost playfully before warring against each other for the right to explore the other's mouth. Zoro was lost in the kiss, lost in the smokey, spicy taste of the blond's mouth and lost in the feel of the blond's hands has they ran through his hair and slid beneath the collar of his shirt.

Somehow Zoro had the presence of mind to kick the door shut behind them, as Sanji led them backwards farther into the kitchen. His back hit one of the counter and he broke away from the kiss long enough to orient himself with his surroundings. Zoro, clearly not concerned with where they were, took advantage of the counters position and pressed his body against the blond's.

Sanji gasped, momentarily losing his train of thought at the feel of Zoro's body pressed against his own.

"Shit," Sanji hissed almost inaudibly before dipping his head and nipping at the marimo's neck.

Zoro grunted, a pleased but restrained sound that suggested he was holding back. Sanji couldn't have that. He continued his exploration of the moss-head's neck, alternating between lips, tongue, and teeth, searching for the best reaction. Zoro gasped a couple of times, mostly when Sanji nipped with his teeth just a shade too hard. Perhaps the marimo liked it a little rough? Sanji filed that away for later consideration.

Sanji found the precise reaction he was looking for when he paused to lick a spot below Zoro's ear and just above his collar bone. He followed the playful lick with a gentle scrape of his teeth and Zoro groaned; an unrestrained sound that seemed to slip past the marimo's best defenses.

Zoro tugged the blond's lips back to his own. Their kiss was slower now; still needy, but tender. Zoro was conveying words with this kiss. It was an apology of sorts, Sanji realized, and a promise.

While the marimo's kiss may have been deep and tender, his actions were not. A slow grind of his hips against Sanji's revealed exactly how much Zoro had enjoyed the blond's earlier attentions. Sanji moaned against Zoro's lips when the other man traced the contours of muscles over his shirt, across his chest, down his abs, and coming to a stop on the button of Sanji's pants.

"Wait," Sanji managed to say, though it sounded more breathless than he would have liked. He caught Zoro's hand, pulling it away from him. He so, _so_ desperately needed those pants gone, but there was a time and a place.

"Not in the kitchen, Marimo," He teased, pulling the captured hand with him as he slipped past Zoro and headed towards a doorway to the left.

Zoro scowled but followed the cook's lead, allowing himself to be led by the hand though the doorway and up a set of stairs. The stairs gave way to a hallway that spanned the second floor, doors and doorways opening to rooms beyond.

"Home sweet home," Sanji said to him, leading him a ways down the hallway. They bypassed an open doorway that revealed what was apparently the living room and another doorway whose opened door revealed an office area.

Sanji stopped them in front of a door at the end of the hall, pausing only long enough to turn the knob before pulling Zoro in with him. Sanji's room was small and sparsely furnished, containing only a bed, bedside table with a lamp, and a dresser. It was neatly organized, clean, and that was about all Zoro had time to take in before the blond was on him again, pulling him into a rough kiss.

Sanji's kisses were hungry, and downright suggestive. There was no reason Zoro should be so turned on from a kiss, but the blond had that kind of power over him from the moment Zoro had laid eyes on him. Why would a kiss from him be any different?

But Zoro needed more. He needed to feel the blond, to be closer to him. That in mind, he reached for the buttons of Sanji's shirt, intending to rid him of the thing as quickly as possible. It proved to be a more difficult task than Zoro has anticipated. They buttons were tiny and their holes refused to fold over them correctly and attempting to do this while Sanji's tongue moved playfully with his own was damn near impossible.

The huff of a frustrated sigh against his lips alerted Sanji to the problem. Sanji pulled away from the kiss entirely to watch the marimo struggle with his buttons.

Sanji couldn't help but laugh, even though it earned him a glare. "Having some trouble, Marimo?"

"Shut up," Zoro grumbled, still working determinedly at the stupid buttons.

"Let me," Sanji laughed again, brushing Zoro's hands away and replacing them with his own. "You take yours off too."

Zoro quickly obeyed, leaving the infuriating little discs to the blond and quickly tugging his own shirt over his head. He emerged from the cotton, expecting to find Sanji still in the act of ridding himself of his own shirt, but was surprised to see that the offensive button up was long since gone.

"How did you-" Zoro stared in amazement.

"Practice makes perfect," Sanji purred gloatingly, stepping closer to Zoro and capturing one of the marimo's hand with his own and placing it on his chest. "Now are you going to keep focusing on the shirt or are you going to touch me?"

Zoro didn't waste any time, running his hands eagerly across the smooth, pale skin he'd dreamed about for weeks now. Sanji leaned appreciatively into his touch, arching his back to be closer to Zoro's warm hand as it traced the contours of his muscles. Zoro watched his hand run across the perfect skin with a sort of detached awareness; he almost couldn't believe it was really his hand, or that he was really touching Sanji again. He'd dreamed about it so often in the past few weeks, dreams that left him with raging erections in dire need of attention that was not his own, that he couldn't quite believe he was actually here now.

He leaned forward, lips attaching to Sanji's collar bone. Maybe being able to taste the blond would assure him this wasn't a dream. Yes, surely it would.

This wasn't as easy as he would have liked while standing up. He had one hand pressed against the blond's back, pulling him closer and tracing the line of his spine while the other explored Sanji's front, tracing the dips between muscles and mapping out sensitive areas. His mouth was exploring these areas further, earning little keening moans from the other man. But there was only so far Zoro's mouth could reach, only so far he could bend without releasing the blond, and releasing Sanji was the furthest thing from Zoro's mind at the moment. Truly worshiping the blond's body required the ability to move around. They needed to move, and now.

Zoro pulled away, standing straight again. Sanji sent him a scathing look, hating him for stopping so suddenly. The cook's breath was coming out in short pants and his face was an almost adorable shade of pink, and Zoro almost seemed to think better of his decision to pull away as well. It took a lot of determination and a few calming breaths to remind himself that moving now was for the best. That being the only rational thought in his mind, he pushed the blond backwards, forcefully enough to get him moving in the direction Zoro needed, but gently enough not to knock him to the ground and piss him off (no doubt ruining all of his chances).

Sanji seemed to catch on to what Zoro was doing pretty fast, and guided himself back towards the bed. Zoro chased after him, catching his lips in quick kisses as they went. When Sanji felt his knees hit the back of the bed, he gratefully fell onto it, pulling the marimo down with him.

Zoro happily followed the blond on to the bed, supporting his weight on one arm as Sanji pulled him down over his own slighter frame. This was exactly what Zoro wanted. He pulled away from the kiss Sanji had sucked him into, gazing down at the body spread beneath him. Sanji was truly beautiful, with his lean muscles and almost iridescent skin. Zoro wasn't going to pay that compliment out loud though, at the risk of sounding completely stupid. Instead he would show the blond just how amazing Zoro thought he was.

Zoro kissed Sanji again, a slow, deep kiss that the blond didn't seem to have the patience for, preferring something harder and faster, but Zoro wouldn't relent in his pace. He kissed the blond thoroughly before moving his lips down to the blond's neck, lapping almost eagerly at the skin there. Sanji gasped and groaned slightly when Zoro nibbled at a spot just below his earlobe. The sound shot another wave of arousal through Zoro. He was impossibly hard already, and every little sound the cook made as Zoro worked his lips curiously down the slender neck and defined chest only served to make Zoro ache even further with want for this man.

Zoro stopped a moment to tease Sanji's nipples, an obviously sensitive place if the cook's arching and moaning were anything to go by. Zoro worked his tongue over on while his fingers brushed over the other, earning Zoro a particularly vocal response. It was amazing, arousing, and Zoro could have probably spent his entire life just teasing the blond's nipples and been perfectly content that way, but he had other ideas at the moment.

Zoro moved down the blond's chest, down to the ridges of muscles that defined his abdomen. These muscles twitched and shuddered under Zoro's attentions, another reaction Zoro very much approved of. He only stalled here for a moment, long enough to enjoy the cook's reaction but not long enough for Sanji to lose patience and rush him along, before moving lower. He kissed through the sparse trail of hair that disappeared under the blond's pants. Sanji hissed, raising his hips just slightly, asking for more.

Zoro was more than willing to oblige, but first he needed to get rid of those pesky pants. They were hiding the true treasure. Sanji took his shirt off for money. Zoro had seen it, and while he more than appreciated the view, there was the nagging reminder that Zoro was not the first person to behold such a magnificent sight. On the other hand, Zoro was certain Sanji didn't take his pants off for just anyone. Granted his job left little to the imagination about what might be lurking beneath these bothersome dark slacks, but it didn't reveal it all. Zoro had been intrigued by this mystery since he'd first seen the blond on stage. Now he was finally getting his wish.

The button of Sanji's slacks popped open much easier than the stupid tiny ones on his shirt had. That made Zoro very happy, glad that he wasn't going to have to ask the blond's help just to get his damn pants off. With the button undone he unzipped them quickly and moved to peel them slowly from Sanji's hips. Sanji made this easier by lifting his hips, allowing Zoro to slide them effortlessly past the blond's ass and off of his legs.

Pants now gone there was only one article of clothing left on the blond; a simple pair of boxer briefs with a very noticeable bulge beneath. Sanji was leaning up on his elbows now, watching Zoro with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. Zoro ignored his gaze though, reaching for the waist band of this last remaining garment, peeling it down slowly as if he were making the big reveal of a vast treasure. Well in a way he was.

Sanji once again more than willingly cooperated, lifting his hips as the swordsman pulled away the fabric. He tossed the underwear somewhere off to the side and returned his gaze to his prize, finally. Sanji was beautiful, head to toe. His cock was and ideal shape, with a round head that was the perfect shade of pink. He was probably longer than Zoro, and Zoro could already imagine what Sanji's cock would feel like inside of him. But that was for another time, Zoro had already made his plans for today.

"Quit staring, Marimo," Sanji growled, gazing down at him with obviously irritation. "If you want I'll take a picture of it later but for now just do some-ah!"

Zoro cut him off with an experimental lick, running his tongue base to tip, curious about how the cook would taste.

"You're a cook aren't you?" Zoro asked, settling himself down between Sanji's thighs. The cook threw him another glare but he accepted that as an answer. "Then you know," He paused, kissing the blond's inner thigh. "How important it is," He continued before pausing again to kiss the junction of Sanji's hip and thigh. The blond hissed through his teeth, face reddening. "To savor the various flavors," Zoro kissed just above his cock and Sanji's hips jerked when Zoro's cheek accidently brushed the hot flesh of his erection. Zoro smirked up at the blond, lowering his head. "Of what you put in your mouth," He finished, lowering his lips over the tip of Sanji's cock. Sanji moaned loudly, throwing his head back.

Zoro paused at the tip, swirling his tongue around the tip and lapping at the slit, savoring the taste before lowering his head. Sanji swore above him, arching his back and resisting the urge to thrust his hips up to fuck Zoro's mouth himself. He threaded his fingers through Zoro's short hair, tugging gently when his hands clenched into fists. Zoro worked his head steadily further down Sanji's cock, taking him deeper each time. He sucked gently, creating just enough pressure to elicit a quiet moan from the cook.

If the endless string of curses was anything to go by, Sanji was definitely coming apart at the seams. The fingers in Zoro's hair pulled and released as Sanji fought for control of his own body. His hips jerked up of their own accord, but Zoro placed his hands on the blond's hips, holding them steady. Sanji's curses were growing more and more breathless, his chest rising and falling more rapidly with each passing moment, and were broken occasionally by a ragged moan.

"Zoro," Sanji gasped. His voice was coarse, gravelly with arousal. "Stop."

If Zoro could have snorted with a mouth full of cock he would have, but instead he just sucked harder; his hands, lips, and tongue working together to reach their goal.

"Stop, Zoro!" The blond demanded, hissing when he felt his cock hit the back of Zoro's throat.

His demand fell on deaf ears, if anything Zoro did the opposite of what the other man wanted, working faster.

"_Please_," Sanji growled out.

Zoro stopped, frozen with Sanji's cock half in his mouth. The request was a low, desperate sound that tore from the blond's throat like a final prayer. It was the same plea the cook had used to ask Zoro to touch him the last time, their first time. It wasn't a sound or a request that Zoro could easily ignore. He didn't want to, even if he could, because the plea was more than just desperate begging; it was a double sided coin whose face was a mystery yet still. If Zoro obeyed, there might be a reward, but if not…

Zoro released the cook as requested, but was unable to resist one last flick of his tongue against the head. One last taste of that flavor. Sanji shuddered violently and breathed deeply through a clenched jaw. He was reeling himself in, regaining the control that Zoro had nearly made him lose entirely. For one moment Zoro thought about ignoring that 'please'. He thought of leaning back down and finishing the cook off, watching his face as he came apart entirely. But Zoro held himself back, waiting patiently while Sanji took a moment to recover.

After a few minutes, Sanji blinked open his eyes, looking around as if he'd momentarily forgotten where he was and what he was doing. His eyes settled on Zoro and a lazy smiled stretched across his lips.

"My turn," He said, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Zoro swallowed. The look in Sanji's eyes alone was enough to send a spark of further arousal through him. Not that he could get any harder. He could feel his underwear sticking to him unpleasantly from precum and his cock was throbbing mercilessly with every move the blond was making.

He watched as Sanji leaned back, bending at an obscene angle, causing a stretch and pull of his muscles that made Zoro's mouth water. Sanji reached for his bedside table, sliding open the top drawer. A number of things rattled around inside, and his hands seemed to stir the contents around a few times before he grabbed onto something with a triumphant smile. Taking the object in hand he closed the drawer with a bump of his fist. It slid shut easily and he straightened back up, rewarding Zoro with a flex of those lean muscles.

He tossed the object he'd gotten from the drawer onto the bed next to Zoro and advanced. The look on his face was predatory, and Zoro fell right into his gaze, paralyzed until Sanji's lips touched his own. He returned the kiss enthusiastically, so caught up in the cook's lips he almost didn't notice he was being forced backwards. As it was, he noticed too late, already off balance and toppling to the bed behind him. The blond straddled his hips, grinding down just hard enough to make Zoro groan. Sanji's smirk widened, apparently pleased by Zoro's reactions.

Sanji leaned forward, kissing Zoro again, but only briefly before his lips moved on to make explorations of their own. His lips worked down Zoro's neck again, reacquainting himself with the one spot he'd found that had pulled a particularly vocal reaction from the other man. He found it easily now, his teeth nipping the flesh almost painfully before rewarding Zoro's breathless moan with a soothing lick. His hands roamed the marimo's body, fingers dipping gracefully in and out of the valleys of muscles that made up Zoro's well-toned body.

Sanji released Zoro's neck from his torment long enough to take in the few below him, the one his hands had been privileged enough to feel but he'd never been so lucky to see.

"Damn Marimo," He spoke softly into Zoro's ear, causing the larger man to shiver. "You are so fucking hot it hurts," He said, pulling away and smiling down at the man beneath him.

"You're one to talk," Zoro panted, sliding his hands appreciatively up Sanji's thighs.

Sanji hummed a quiet moan of approval before returning to his explorations, his lips abandoning Zoro's neck in favor of mapping out his chest. His tongue darted out occasionally, tasting the saltiness from the thin sheen of sweat that was cropping up on the other man's body. Each flick of his tongue earned him a gasp or hiss from Zoro, each gentle nip earned him a groan. The flick of Sanji's tongue against one dark nipple causes Zoro to arch. Sanji rolled his hips against Zoro's, causing the marimo to moan louder than ever and nearly sending Sanji over the edge. He'd been on the verge of coming in the other man's mouth before; Zoro had an inhumanly talented tongue. He almost wanted to; it had been such a tempting notion. But Sanji couldn't waste his chance here.

Still, Sanji had had enough play. He was ready to burst and judging by the heaving in Zoro's chest and the hazed look in his eyes, the marimo was in about the same state. Neither of them could wait any longer.

Sanji slid down from Zoro's hips, moving his hand to the button of the jeans the poor man was still constrained in. "Let's get these off," Sanji smirked, popping the button open easily with one hand. He watched Zoro's reactions as he slowly slid the zipper open. Zoro was watching him back with hungry eyes; the eyes of a starving man at a buffet. Sanji was that buffet.

With the zipper fully undone, Sanji wasted no time sliding both the jeans and Zoro's boxers down the marimo's hips and tossing them carelessly over the side of the bed. Zoro watched Sanji expectantly, and Sanji felt a certain thrill of power. From what he knew of Zoro through their many text message conversations, he'd figured he was a leader, a real take charge kind of guy. He knew Zoro underwent a lot of training in various martial arts and that Zoro was highly disciplined in many aspects of his life. He was a man who valued control, but at the moment he seemed content to leave things up to Sanji. This strict, controlled, disciplined man was giving Sanji the reigns, waiting for Sanji to make the next move and letting Sanji decide what happened next, and that thrilled the blond to the core of his being.

Sanji reached for the discarded item from before (lube, Zoro could see now) and flicked the lid of the small bottle open, pouring a generous amount of the substance into his hand. Zoro knew where this was going, and spread his legs a little wider to accommodate the cook, but was surprised entirely when Sanji chuckled and reached for one of his hands. He watched in awe as the blond spread the lube over Zoro's fingers, coating them thoroughly in the slick substance. He moved closer, settling over Zoro's waist, and guided the marimo's hand towards his entrance.

"Be gentle, Marimo," He chuckled playfully before releasing Zoro's hand and giving the man free reign to do as he wished.

Zoro was nearly frozen in shock, but the glazed and needy look in Sanji's beautiful blue eyes spurred him into action, and he thrust one finger in a little too eagerly. Thankfully Sanji didn't seem to mind, instead the groaned in a way that sounded more pleased than offended. Zoro took this as a sign of encouragement and worked his finger in deeper, thrusting it in and out a few times before adding a second.

Sanji's reactions were better than the finest work of art, in Zoro's opinion. The blond shuddered violently as Zoro prepped him, cursing occasionally (something Zoro had long ago learned was a good sound from the cook). Sanji leaned over him, supporting himself on one arm and looking down at Zoro while Zoro's fingers worked him inside. Zoro looked back up at him, savoring the heavy breathing and broken moans that spilled from his lips. Sanji really was a sight to behold.

Zoro curled his fingers and Sanji let out a cry. His arm failed to hold him up and he dropped to his elbow. He was closer now and Zoro lapped at his lips, willing them closer to his own. Sanji granted his wish, closing the gap between them and meeting Zoro's lips in a kiss. It was a short lived kiss though, Sanji pulled away sharply at the same time he reached down and stilled Zoro's wrist.

"Zoro," Sanji panted against his lips. His voice was ragged and broken, like he'd forgotten how to use it. "Fuck me."

Zoro didn't need telling twice. He withdrew his fingers, causing Sanji to shudder once more, and reached for the lube the blond had set aside. He poured a fair amount into his palm and worked it over his cock easily. He watched the blond move above him, sliding lower and positioning himself back over Zoro. Zoro watched Sanji settle over him, and felt it as he slid down. Impossibly hot and tight, that was the only thought that ran through Zoro's mind as the blond slid lower, panting as Zoro slid inside of him.

"Fuck," Zoro groaned. He'd envisioned this for weeks. This was the moment that fueled his dreams more often than he'd admit, and it was the fantasy that drove every orgasm from his body since he'd met the man above him. But the fantasies and the dreams didn't do Sanji justice. As Sanji raised himself up and slid back down, Zoro couldn't believe he ever thought his dreams would compare to this.

Sanji worked slowly at first, enjoying the feel as Zoro slid in and out of him, but both his own need and the intoxicating sounds Zoro was making spurred him to move faster. Zoro's hands on his hips, grasping with an almost bruising strength, assured him Zoro was feeling just as good as he was. Sanji watched the man below him. Zoro's face was the picture of concentration; eyes squeezed shut, brow slightly creased. Zoro was holding something back, fighting something back and maintaining control still. Sanji didn't like that one bit.

Sanji slammed down a little harder, rolling his hips just slightly as he did. It was a dangerous move on his part; it forced Zoro deeper inside of him and brushed him against Sanji's prostate as well. Sanji was so close, he was surely going to do himself in faster this way, but it worked marvelously in accomplishing his own goals as well.

Zoro's eyes snapped open and his lips parted, releasing a load moan that made Sanji tingle. That was the side of the swordsman he wanted to see; the unrestrained, wild version of the self-disciplined man. Zoro's eyes found his, met his for a moment before he took Sanji's cock in his hand and began working him perfectly with the time and force of their thrusts and Sanji's eyes nearly rolled back into his head. He couldn't take any more of this. After a few more mutual thrusts, Sanji came, curling over Zoro as he covered them both in his cum, cursing out a string of swear words that must have come from at least three different languages.

Zoro panted desperately, Sanji was impossibly tight now, and it only took a few more thrusts of his own before he followed after, coming hard and shouting out an unidentifiable word that may have been Sanji's name mixed with something else.

The both stayed that way for a moment, taking deep breaths in an attempt to return some oxygen to their brain cells. Finally Sanji lifted himself off of Zoro, wincing slightly at the feeling of Zoro sliding out of him. That was all the effort he could make at the moment though, and he fell limply onto the bed beside Zoro. Zoro turned to him, pulling him closer with one arm, and Sanji happily tucked himself closer into Zoro.

"We should do this more often," Zoro finally said. His tone was light and conversational, and were it not for the fact that his breathing was still slightly heavy, you might have guessed he was talking about a tea party.

Sanji chuckled. "It's certainly enjoyable enough."

Zoro laughed as well and they both lapsed back into silence for a moment before Zoro spoke again. "But really," He paused. "Can we do this again?"

He sounded uncertain enough that Sanji pulled away in order to actually look at him. Zoro looked at him hopefully, but there was still a few flecks of doubt in his dark eyes.

"What have sex?" Sanji asked for clarification.

Zoro smiled. "Well yeah, the sex is great," He said, watching Sanji's eyes dim from something happy to something disappointed. "But I really meant can we spend time together in general," He said, watching as his words brought the light back into Sanji's eyes. Really, this stupid blond was too easy to read.

"And not just through text messages," He added on.

Sanji smiled back at him. "Of course we can," The blond sighed happily, curling happily into Zoro again, nuzzling his way under the marimo's chin. "It might not be as often as I'd like," He added regretfully. "But I promise I'll make time."

"Good enough," Zoro smiled.

They were quiet for a long time after that, long enough that Sanji had begun to drift into a light sleep, lulled by the sounds of Zoro's steady breathing and heartbeat. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before Zoro spoke again, rousing him from his light slumber.

"So I was right. You are a cuddler after sex," Zoro chuckled.

"Shut it, shitty-marimo," Sanji growled. "Go to sleep."

Zoro obeyed, tightening his hold of the blond in his arms and drifting off into a deep sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Heh heh heh. So as you can see I decided to make another part. A sort of sequel/second chapter kind of deal, making this a two shot. But this is for all you who requested this as a huge thank you for your reviews.

And I mean huge, it's 15,406 words making it the longest single chapter thing I've ever written.

I apologize for the typos, I edited it once but I don't have the willpower to go through all 30 pages a second time. Hopefully it doesn't sound to bad.

I'm going to dedicate this to all you wonderful reviewers and to becausethereisonepiece on tumblr because she demanded porn daily and made me write it that much faster (though it still took forever) and she had to hear my daily progress reports on it (which I'm sure were annoying) so this is for you guys! I hope you enjoyed!


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